On Monday, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed the fundamental human rights lawsuit filed by Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, against the Federal Government.
Kanu had sued the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Department of State Services (DSS), seeking N1 billion in damages for alleged violations of his rights.
In the suit, marked FHC/CS/1633/2023, Kanu claimed that the DSS and its Director General violated his right to a fair hearing by allegedly preventing his lawyers from having unrestricted interactions with him while he was detained, which impacted his preparation for his defence in his criminal trial.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Omotosho held that Kanu failed to provide credible evidence to support his claims that his interactions with his lawyers were interfered with, that he was denied unrestricted access to his lawyers, and that DSS officials eavesdropped on his conversations with his legal team, thus breaching his right to a fair hearing.
More details are to follow.