Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has announced his intention to engage the Federal Government in an out-of-court settlement.
Kanu, through his counsel, Mr. Alloy Ejimakor, informed the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday that he planned to pursue the negotiation under Section 17 of the Federal High Court Act.
The Act states: “In any proceeding in the court, the court may promote reconciliation among parties thereto and encourage and facilitate the amicable settlement thereof.”
According to Persecondnews, the Department of State Services (DSS) has been holding Kanu since June 2021, after his arrest in Kenya.
Since then, he has been facing trial on terrorism-related charges brought against him by the FG.
Earlier, Ejimakor filed two motions with the court. The first motion sought to compel the court to strike out the charges against Kanu (Form 49), while the second motion challenged the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case, arguing that it lacked the authority to do so.
Kanu’s lawyer said that if the applications are denied, his client will seek to implement Section 17 of the Federal High Court Act.
In response, Adegboyega Awomolo, the FG’s counsel, informed the court that he had previously notified the defendant that he lacked the authority to engage in negotiations on behalf of the FG.
Awomolo advised the defendant to instead approach the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who possesses the necessary powers to negotiate on behalf of the government.
In response to the development, Justice Binta Nyako, the presiding judge, said that the court’s role is not to facilitate negotiations or act as a mediator but rather to adjudicate and hear cases, emphasizing the court’s limited scope in this matter.
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