Senior lawyer Kanu Agabi, who led the legal team defending Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has formally withdrawn from representing him in court. At a session on Thursday, Agabi informed the court that Kanu has chosen to defend himself in his ongoing trial on charges of treasonable felony and terrorism. All senior advocates of Nigeria (SAN) previously on Kanu’s defense team also withdrew, a fact the defendant confirmed in court, stating he would represent himself for the time being but may retain legal counsel later. When offered a court-appointed lawyer, Kanu declined and proceeded to argue that the court lacks jurisdiction over his case. Kanu, who was first arrested in 2015, fled after bail in 2017, but was re-arrested in 2021 and remains in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). In a fresh application filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, Kanu indicated he intends to call two categories of witnesses—“ordinary but material” as well as “vital and compellable” under the Evidence Act, citing several prominent individuals such as former and current government and security officials among them. Kanu also requested 90 days to conclude his defense, reflecting the scope and complexity of evidence he plans to present.
