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DSS accused of blocking Nnamdi Kanu’s access to lawyers and documents
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Family warns absence in court would not be by choice
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Calls on UN, AU, and rights groups to intervene
The family of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has raised concerns that he may be unable to appear in court on Friday for his terrorism trial, alleging that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) are deliberately frustrating his defence preparations.
In a statement signed by his brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the family claimed that the DSS has refused to allow Kanu adequate access to his lawyers, family members, and witnesses — actions they say violate his right to a fair hearing.
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“The DSS is deliberately stopping him from preparing his defence. They have made it nearly impossible for him to have proper access to his lawyers, family members, and key witnesses,” the statement read.
The family further alleged that Kanu has been denied access to computers, printers, and other materials necessary for filing legal documents. “They have refused to take him to the court registry to submit his court papers,” it added.
According to them, the DSS’s conduct amounts to a breach of constitutional rights and an attempt to sabotage Kanu’s trial. “What the DSS is doing is unfair, unlawful, and intentional. They are making it difficult for him to defend himself so that the case can be decided against him,” the family stated.
They warned that if Kanu fails to appear in court on Friday, the responsibility should rest on the DSS and the Federal Government, not on Kanu himself.
The family urged the United Nations, African Union, European Union, Commonwealth, and human rights organisations to closely monitor the situation, accusing the Nigerian government of violating court orders and undermining the rule of law.
