The legal team of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on a routine visit on Monday to the Headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, Abuja, raised the alarm that the DSS allegedly stopped them from seeing the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in its detention facility.
The IPOB lead Counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor revealed this in a statement to Vanguard in Owerri, on Monday.
He said the DSS’ action was a clear violation of the court positive orders.
To tackle the issue, the IPOB lawyer, said that it has filled contempt forms to the Chief Registrar of the Federal High court in Abuja, against the DDS, and that he was waiting for the Chief Registrar to endorse the relevant forms.
Ejiofor was not happy that it was not the first time the DSS, has refused the IPOB legal team from seeing their client.
According to IPOB’s legal team, “Consistent with our routine, we were at the DSS Headquarters today, to observe the Court-Ordered visit to our dear Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. But, for the second time after the last court sitting, we were bluntly denied access to our Client by the personnel of the DSS.
“This development is appalling and condemnable because there was no plausible reason(s) proffered for this violent affront to a Court Order.
“Recall that the Order made by His Lordship, Hon. Justice Binta Nyako guiding our routine visits to our Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is unequivocal that these visits should be conducted on Mondays and Thursdays between the hours of 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
“During our visit to Onyendu last week Thursday, being the 17th day of February 2022, in observance of this Court sanctioned visit, the personnel of the DSS turned us back, insisting that the officials assigned to receive us were not available. The same flimsy reason was given today, 21st February 2022, for denying us access to Onyendu, in deliberate and flagrant disobedience to Court Orders.”
“With the foregoing, if the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court Abuja, fails and/or refuses to endorse the relevant contempt forms filed against the director-General of the DSS for the gross disobedience to positive Orders of Court, as he has done in the past, then, it will become obvious to the world that the Registrar of the Federal High Court Abuja, is actively protecting the contemnors.”
“Orders of Court must be obeyed to the letter and must not only be respected but must be treated with sanctity. Sadly, this has become a joke taken too far! We, therefore, wish to use this medium to place the World on Notice that the DSS should be held responsible should anything untoward happen to our Client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu during this period they are hoarding him from us.
“We shall continue to keep the World abreast of every unfolding event as the DSS continue to thread on this ignominious path,” Ejiofor warned.
Credit: Vanguard News Nigeria