Special Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Aloy Ejimakor, has said that sending the Biafra agitator to Sokoto State to serve his jail term is an impendiment to prosecuting his appeal.
Recall that Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court had sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment and ordered him to serve his term in Sokoto Custodial Service centre.
Kanu has been on trial for 10 years due to his agitation for the actualization of Biafra.
Despite previous discharges and acquittals, the Nigerian government had insisted on Kanu’s trial.
Prior to his conviction by Justice Omotosho, Kanu was detained in custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.
However, Ejimakor said moving Kanu to Sokoto would affect his move to appeal the judgment.
In an interview with Channels Television, Ejimakor said Kanu has the right to fair hearing in line with Section 36 of the Nigerian constitution.
Ejimakor said that privilege would be expressed before the Court of Appeal.
He said: “But see, after the sentencing, I was surprised like everybody else who was monitoring this case, that he was plucked from Abuja and taken all the way to Sokoto, which is in the northernmost part of northwest Nigeria.
“So you begin to ask, how can he effectively take, prosecute his appeal, or even take the initial steps towards initiating his appeal? Initiating an appeal is not an easy thing to do.
“He has to file a notice of appeal, request for the transcripts of the record of proceedings before the High Court, pay for them, review them, and do all sorts of things, all sorts of activities that will now play out before the Court of Appeal.”
Ejimakor noted that it would be difficult for Kanu to navigate his appeal because he has no legal representatives.