From: Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Special counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafara (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has expressed concern over the alleged refusal by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) to allow him consent to consular and diplomatic interventions in his trial by the United Kingdom and her High Commission in Nigeria.
The lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, in a statement on Monday, lamented that the DSS are tactically delaying the signing of the two forms which he took to Kanu some days ago for his signature.
He explained that both forms relate to affirming his consent to consular and diplomatic interventions by the United Kingdom and the her High Commission in Nigeria.
Ejimakor stated that the implication of the refusal will rather fuel the notion that the government of Nigeria is deliberately isolating Kanu from having consular and diplomatic access to the United Kingdom.
The statement reads; “Let me make it clear that the day I took the Forms to the DSS, the officers on location were amenable to Kanu signing them until somewhere along the line, they tarried and decided to send it to the legal unit for vetting.
So, my sense is that it’s the legal unit of the DSS that disapproved of Kanu signing the Forms for reasons that were not given to me.
As a Lawyer, I don’t see any legal advantage the government of Nigeria stands to gain by blocking Kanu from signing those Forms. The Forms are but a mere routine in matters like this.
Instead of any advantage, the refusal will help fuel the notion that the government of Nigeria is deliberately isolating Kanu from having consular and diplomatic access to the United Kingdom.
It does not comport with the best traditions of fundamental fairness that a detainee is being denied access to resources that will assist him in his defense. This is one of things that will count in our reckoning as this matter continues to fold.
For these reasons, I am now compelled to call on the British High Commission in Nigeria to banish every red tape and exert the full weight of its diplomatic clout in gaining immediate access to Kanu. This is especially important, given the prospects of better welfare, including adequate medical care for Mazi Kanu.
Further, the prompt intervention of the High Commission will mean that Kanu will have another layer of human contact in addition to his legal team who are the only ones currently allowed to see him.