Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Department of State Services to immediately release Nnamdi Kanu’s reading glasses.
Mike Ozekhome, lead counsel to Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, during a court sitting on Wednesday, said his client may go blind if nothing was urgently done to restore his sight.
According to him, the DSS operatives seized his client’s glasses during an arrest in 2015 when he had just returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom.
He equally told the court that a new pair that Kanu bought was also seized from him during his extraordinary rendition from Kenya.
Ozekhome said, “My lord, since 2015, his glasses were taken from him. The one he wore before his extraordinary rendition from Kenya was also taken from him.
“Till now, he does not have glasses to wear and his eyesight is deteriorating. My lord we do not want the defendant to go blind; that is why we have decided to bring it to the attention of the court.”
Ozekhome also pointed out that despite an order of the court, the DSS had not allowed his client to have a change of clothing.
Recall that during a sitting on January 18, Justice Nyako gave an order to the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow Kanu, to change his clothes.
He alleged that the security agency refused to allow Kanu to receive new clothes that were brought to him by his younger brother, Emmanuel.
Meanwhile, the prosecution lawyer, Shuaib Labaran claimed that the clothes brought by Kanu’s family had lion heart drawn on it, as he stated that such designs offend the operating procedures of the SSS.
Justice Nyako later asked Kanu to indicate the type of cloth he preferred to wear.
In response, Kanu said: “I want to wear the clothes of my people, “isi agu” a choice the judge turned down.
The embattled IPOB leader had arrived in the courtroom on Wednesday as trial for terrorism charges continued.
A 15-count terrorism charge was slammed on Nnamdi Kanu by the Nigerian Government.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and asked the court to discharge and acquit him without standing trial because the charges were incurably defective and not worth being defended.
The court has adjourned till April 8 for ruling on whether or not to quash the charge.
