Nigerian secessionist leader, NnamdiKanu, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges preferred against him by the government.
The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) group was arraigned at the Federal High Court in the capital Abuja on Thursday.
The government amended the charges from five to seven, including treason, terrorism, operating an illegal company, and publishing defamatory materials.
MrKanu was arrested outside the country in June after fleeing Nigeria in 2017. Details of his arrest remain unclear as Britain, where the government says he was arrested, and Kenya, where his family and lawyer claim he was taken from, have both denied any involvement.
Kanu, 54, was brought into the court premises under tight security mounted by the army, police and civil defense corps at 8 am. Some routes to the federal court were also cordoned off.
No journalist was allowed inside the courtroom, with the Nigerian secret police saying they were acting on “orders from above”.
IfeanyiEjiofor, Lead Defense Counsel, confirmed that his client was in court to face trial, sending pictures of them together in the courtroom.
Kanu pleaded not guilty before the court presided by Justice BintaNyanko.
The judge declined his request to be transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre from the secret police custody under the Department of State Service (DSS). He has been held in solitary confinement.
The court, however, granted that three persons of Kanu’s choice be allowed to visit him at the DSS facility.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD OCTOBER 22/2021
