The legal team for the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, raised an alarm on a routine visit to the headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, Abuja, on Monday, that the DSS allegedly prevented them from seeing Nnamdi Kanu, in its detention facility.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the IPOB’s lead Counsel, revealed this in a statement to Vanguard in Owerri on Monday.
According to him, the DSS’s actions were a clear violation of the court’s positive orders.
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To address the issue, the IPOB lawyer stated that the organization had filed contempt petitions with the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court in Abuja against the DDS, and that he was waiting for the Chief Registrar’s endorsement.
Ejiofor was irritated because this was not the first time the DSS had refused the IPOB legal team access to their client.
“Consistent with our routine, we were at the DSS Headquarters today, to observe the Court-Ordered visit to our dear Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” said IPOB’s legal team. However, for the second time since the last court hearing, we were flatly denied access to our Client by DSS personnel.
“This development is appalling and condemnable because no plausible reason(s) for this violent affront to a Court Order was offered.”
“Recall that His Lordship, Hon. Justice Binta Nyako’s Order directing our routine visits to our Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is unequivocal that these visits be conducted on Mondays and Thursdays between the hours of 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.”
“During our visit to Onyendu last week Thursday, the 17th day of February 2022, in observance of this Court-authorized visit, the DSS personnel turned us back, insisting that the officials assigned to receive us were not available.” Today, 21st February 2022, the same flimsy reason was given for denying us access to Onyendu, in deliberate and flagrant defiance of Court Orders.”
“In light of the foregoing, if the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court Abuja fails and/or refuses to endorse the relevant contempt forms filed against the Director-General of the DSS for gross disobedience to positive Orders of Court, as he has done in the past, it will become clear to the world that the Registrar of the Federal High Court Abuja is actively protecting the contemnors.”
Orders of Court must be followed to the letter and must be treated with sanctity, not just respect. Regrettably, this has devolved into a joke. As a result, we would like to use this medium to inform the world that the DSS should be held accountable if anything untoward happens to our Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu during this period.
“In light of the foregoing, if the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court Abuja fails and/or refuses to endorse the relevant contempt forms filed against the Director-General of the DSS for gross disobedience to positive Orders of Court, as he has done in the past, it will become clear to the world that the Registrar of the Federal High Court Abuja is actively protecting the contemnors.”
“Orders of Court must be followed to the letter and must be treated with sanctity, not just respect.” Regrettably, this has devolved into a farcical joke! As a result, we would like to use this medium to inform the world that the DSS should be held accountable if anything untoward happens to our Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu during this period.
