Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia, Friday, issued an order restraining security agencies from deploying their personnel to the court premises any time Nnamdi Kanu’s case comes up for hearing before the court.
The court, presided over by Justice Benson Anya, also restrained security agencies from arresting anybody who attends the court to witness Kanu’s proceedings.
The court order arose from a protest by Kanu’s Special Counsel, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor, over the activities of security agencies that usually prevent people from gaining access to the court premises any time Kanu’s matter comes up for hearing.
No fewer than 100 heavily-armed security agents cordoned off the premises at Friday’s resumed hearing of Kanu’s human rights suit against the Federal Government and seven others.
In making the order, the judge declared that he saw no necessity for deployment of such high number of security agents to the court.
According to him, if in the future the security agents see need to deploy their personnel to the court, they should apply to the court for permission to do so.
Kanu, who had, on September 7, through his Special Counsel, filed a N5 billion suit against the Federal Government is challenging his “abduction from Kenya and extraordinary rendition to Nigeria.”
At Friday’s resumed hearing, the stern-looking security agents blocked all the entry points to the Court premises, allowing only court workers, judges, lawyers and a few journalists entry into the premises.
Previous hearings also witnessed heavy presence of security agents, a situation that caused tension around town.
Meanwhile, the matter has been adjourned till December 10 for adoption of processes and a hearing on the substantive application seeking Kanu’s release from detention and his repatriation to Britain.
The early date was insisted on by Kanu’s lawyer, Ejimakor, who argued that fundamental rights are special cases that must be concluded on time, especially in this instance where Kanu has been in detention since June this year.
Ejimakor was in court with several lawyers, including Patrick Agazie and Max Ozoaka of Alaigbo Development Foundation.
