Inside Nigeria
DSS Stops Top US Lawyer, Ejiofor, Others From Visiting Nnamdi Kanu
The detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has been prevented from seeing his legal team by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS.
This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the IPOB leader’s lead counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor.
Ejiofor accused the DSS of preventing him and other lawyers including IPOB’s attorney in the United States, Bruce Fein from meeting with Nnamdi Kanu on Thursday.
In the statement titled, ‘Update On Yesterday’s Visit Being 2nd Day Of September, 2021,’ the lawyer stated that their denial is a clear violation of the order of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja which ordered the DSS to allow Kanu access to his counsel twice a week.
The statement read: “Yesterday (Thursday’s) Court ordered visit to Our Client- Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was aborted by the officials of the State Security Services on a reason we find extremely ridiculous.
“Following the arrival of Mr. Bruce Fein, a foremost American trained Constitutional Law Lawyer and IPOB’s Attorney in the United States of America, the game obviously took an interesting twist.
“Despite our formal notification to the Service, in line with the existing protocol, and in compliance with the Court-Ordered guideline, the officials of the Department of State Security Services came up with an excuse, “that the person assigned to receive us during yesterday’s visit was on A SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT”, and as such, the visit cannot be conducted.
“This is not only ridiculous but a clear violation of the Court Order on guidelines for visiting our Client- Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“For the records, we have been consistently visiting Our Client on the specified days and time of the week, and there hasn’t been any time we were denied access to him on the ground that an individual assigned to receive us was not available.
“Needless to mention, that no one individual has been specifically assigned to receive us on any of the visits. They are fully aware that the visit takes place every Monday and Thursday.
“Thankfully, we have another date for Monday, and we do hope that this individual will be available on Monday to receive us, whilst we have taken steps to formally bring this latest infraction to the attention of the Court.
“We will continue to update you all, while we continue to urge for your relentless prayers and understanding. We are winning, you can be assured.”