A legal consultant to the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, has likened his decision to disengage his legal team and represent himself in court to the action of the late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Ejimakor told our correspondent on Sunday that Kanu had yet to file his appeal against his life sentence because he refused to hire lawyers.
He said Kanu believed he could best present his case himself, noting that several legal processes must be completed before an appeal could be properly filed.
“He disengaged us as his lawyers so we now act as consultants. I do not know why he does not want a lawyer, but great men are often like that. Even Awolowo refused to hire lawyers in his time. MNK wants to represent himself and there are procedures he must follow before filing his appeal,” Ejimakor said.
The consultant also backed Kanu’s request to be transferred from the Sokoto Correctional Centre to a custodial facility closer to Abuja to enable him prepare his appeal.
On November 20, Kanu was found guilty on seven terrorism related charges by the Federal High Court in Abuja and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Following the judgment, he was moved from the Kuje Correctional Centre to the Sokoto Correctional Facility on security grounds.
He later filed a motion before Justice James Omotosho seeking a transfer to Suleja or Keffi Custodial Centres, citing the difficulty of preparing his appeal from Sokoto, which is over 700 kilometres from Abuja.
Kanu argued that his detention in Sokoto hindered his constitutional right to appeal, adding that key persons assisting him were all based in Abuja.
