UPDATED: IPOB Secessionist Begins Trial, Dismisses His Legal Team

UPDATED: IPOB Secessionist Begins Trial, Dismisses His Legal Team

Nnamdi Kanu, a Nigerian pro-independece leader has made a bold move in his ongoing trial, dismissing his team of lawyers and declaring that he will represent himself moving forward.

The 58-year-old opened his defence on Thursday, insisting that the court has no legal authority to try him, an argument the judge rejected.

The Indeginous people of Biafra (IPOB) secessionist continues to deny all allegations of terrorism and incitement to violence.

IPOB, which was banned by the Nigerian government in 2017, is pushing for an independent Biafran state in the country’s southeast.

According to report, Just a day earlier, Kanu had listed several prominent Nigerians as witnesses, including former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, who oversaw his 2021 arrest. He halted explanation for his sudden decision to sack his lawyers, and they have not issued any public statement.

Holding dual citizenship in Nigeria and the UK, Kanu accused the government of flouting a Court of Appeal ruling that cleared him of all charges, though the Supreme Court later reinstated them.

The presiding judge reminded him that the issue had been settled during preliminary hearings and ordered him to proceed with his defence.

Earlier in the week, police in Abuja fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators calling for his release.

Despite years of clashes with the Nigerian authorities, Kanu remains a powerful symbol to many in southeastern Nigeria, where his followers view him as a freedom fighter.

Since IPOB was proscribed as a terrorist group in 2017, its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, has been accused of carrying out several violent attacks.

Kanu’s legal troubles date back to 2015, when he was first arrested on terrorism charges. He later fled the country in 2017 after a military raid on his home. His bail was revoked in 2019, and he was re-arrested two years later.

According to his lawyers, Kanu was seized in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria under unclear circumstances.

Although this claim remains uncleared as Kenyan government has never confirmed.

It is worth noting that In 2022, an appeal court ordered the charges dropped, but the Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2023, allowing the case to continue.