Justice James Omotosho fixed the new date on Friday after Kanu informed the court that his former legal team, led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), had yet to hand over his case file to him.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to Monday, October 27, to enable him to open his defence in the terrorism charges filed against him by the Nigerian Government.
Justice James Omotosho fixed the new date on Friday after Kanu informed the court that his former legal team, led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), had yet to hand over his case file to him.
At the resumed hearing, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) appeared for the Federal Government and reminded the court that the matter had been slated for Kanu to begin his defence as previously ordered.
However, no lawyer appeared on behalf of Kanu.
The IPOB leader, who entered the courtroom clutching a bundle of documents, personally announced his appearance and told the judge that his dismissed legal team had refused to release his case file, an action he said prevented him from preparing adequately for his defence.
He, therefore, pleaded for an adjournment to enable him to retrieve and study the file before proceeding with his defence.
"My lord, my counsel left the case yesterday, and I have not received the file from them," the IPOB leader was quoted as saying by The PUNCH.
Kanu also told the court that he planned to call 23 witnesses, including both local and foreign individuals, in his defence. He, therefore, asked the court to issue an order compelling the Department of State Services (DSS) to grant his foreign witnesses access to him.
He further requested that his lawyers be permitted to visit him even on non-working days, a request that Justice Omotosho granted.
However, counsel for the Federal Government, Awomolo, described Kanu's complaint as "strange," arguing that the IPOB leader had previously spent several hours in court with his former legal team. He urged the court to enforce its earlier order giving Kanu six days to open and conclude his defence.
The prosecution said, "I'm aware that there is a standing order for the defendant to defend himself within six days. The defendant wasted yesterday. This is the second day, my lord. I urge your lordship to keep to the standing order of the number of days given to the defendant," Awomolo said.
In his ruling, Omotosho said while Kanu's claim about the withheld case file was "strange and difficult to believe", he would still grant a short adjournment in the interest of justice.
The judge cautioned against unnecessary delays, stressing that several other cases had been affected by the protracted proceedings.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to Monday, October 27, for Kanu to open his defence.