The Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Dr. Sam Amadi has advised the Nigerian judiciary to trade with caution over the “no case submission” by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently facing seven count charges including terrorism at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Amadi, a Visiting Professor at the Emerald Energy Institute, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, who is also a policy strategist in law and governance expert said that he could understand from what Nnamdi Kanu was trying to do was to hold on to his case on the basis that his trial is ‘illegal’ by virtue of his rendition and the way he was brought into the country.
He said, “I understand him saying this is an illegal trial and holding on to his defence, but the problem now though is that the courts have continued to proceed without determining the question whether the way and manner he was renditioned into the country was legal.
“He wants to ground the illegality and illegitimacy of the trial rather than going to defend himself. Maybe it is safer for him.
“The judge has given him upto three days to present his defence in writing and adopt his brief, but if I were him, I can’t write anything because he refused to defence himself, so the trial will be without defence.
“It could be his thinking that since there is no defence, let them convict him. It is actually not more damaging than going with lawyers and he is found guilty and he goes to appeal and the answer would be he had a free and fair trial because he was defended by senior lawyers.
“I think that was what late Ken Saro Wiwa didn’t want when we did his case.
“I think it would be better for him to take this stand he is taking.
“Well in this case, the court can still convict him, but legally it lacks due process.
“I also think it would be politically explosive if the court goes ahead to convict him and if he is put in prison, it would be unthinkable to execute him. I think that the case is getting out of hand, it would be difficult to judge on it.”
