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BREAKING: DSS Stops Nnamdi Kanu From Seeking International Assistance
- The Department of State Services (DSS) has stopped IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, from seeking international assistance.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has stopped the arrested leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, from signing a consular assistance form by the United Kingdom, EKO HOT BLOG has gathered.
The latest development was made known by one of the counsels for the detained IPOB leader, Aloy Ejimakor, via a statement on Monday after visiting Kanu in DSS custody.
EKO HOT BLOG recalls that Nnamdi Kanu was standing trial for treason in Nigeria before he jumped bail.
Upon his re-arrest and extradition from a foreign country, the IPOB leader was arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja for terrorism-related charges.
Nnamdi Kanu has since been remanded in DSS custody.
It would be further recalled that the British Government had expressed readiness to provide “consular assistance” for Kanu but need him to assent to the assistance by signing some forms.
However, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer in a statement on Monday, said the forms were returned to him unsigned.
The statement was titled, ‘Summary of my visitation with our Client, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on Monday 19th July’.
The statement read, “Last Saturday, when I visited Mazi Kanu, I expressed strong concerns about the inordinate delay in having Kanu sign the two Forms I had taken to the DSS for Kanu’s signature some days before.
“Both Forms relate to affirming his consent to consular and diplomatic interventions by the United Kingdom and her High Commission in Nigeria.
READ ALSO: Sorry To Disappoint You, No Trial For Nnamdi Kanu- Lawyer
“Surprisingly, the Forms were returned to me unsigned.
“Let me make it clear that the day I took the Forms to the DSS, the officers on location were amenable to Kanu signing them until somewhere along the line, they tarried and decided to send it to the legal unit for vetting.
“So, my sense is that it’s the legal unit of the DSS that disapproved of Kanu signing the Forms for reasons that were not given to me,” Ejimakor stated.
Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer added, “As a lawyer, I don’t see any legal advantage the government of Nigeria stands to gain by blocking Kanu from signing those Forms. The Forms are but a mere routine in matters like this.
“Instead of any advantage, the refusal will help fuel the notion that the government of Nigeria is deliberately isolating Kanu from having consular and diplomatic access to the United Kingdom.
“It does not comport with the best traditions of fundamental fairness that a detainee is being denied access to resources that will assist him in his defence. This is one of the things that will count in our reckoning as this matter continues to fold.
“For these reasons, I am now compelled to call on the British High Commission in Nigeria to banish every red tape and exert the full weight of its diplomatic clout in gaining immediate access to Kanu. This is especially important, given the prospects of better welfare, including adequate medical care for Mazi Kanu.
“Further, the prompt intervention of the High Commission will mean that Kanu will have another layer of human contact in addition to his legal team who are the only ones currently allowed to see him,” the statement concluded.
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