As demonstrations over the continued detention of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu rages in the South-East and some parts of South-South, an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court ,yesterday ordered the De­partment of State Services (DSS) to produce him un­failingly before the court on Monday, November 23.
Chief Magistrate Shauibu Usman gave the order after Kanu, who was expected to answer criminal charges brought against him by the Federal Government, was not in court yesterday.
The DSS failed to bring Kanu to court yesterday de­spite an order of the court made on October 23 to that effect.
When his case was called, Usman insisted that no trial can continue in a crimi­nal case in the absence of the accused, adding that the only condition that can make a court to excuse the absence of an accused had not arisen.
Prosecution counsel, Mr. Moses Idakwo told the court that Kanu was not brought to court because of an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to continue the trial, which was already slated for hear­ing. Idakwo told the court that as soon as the motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court has been re­solved, the DSS would pro­duce him in the court.
However, Usman did not take to Idakwo’s submis­sion. He reminded him that on October 23, he made an order that the accused must at all time be brought to court throughout the trial.
Kanu is standing trial on criminal conspiracy, man­aging and belonging to an unlawful society and crimi­nal intimidation, contrary to Section 97, 97B and 397 of the Penal Code.
Also, a faction MAS­SOB has dared the Nigerian Army over its threat to use minimal force to contain on pro-Biafran agitators, say­ing the threat was “a sign of cowardice.”
This is even as an activ­ist, Mr. Chukwuemeka Mba said the army should be pre­pared to kill over five mil­lion Igbo youths should the authorities carry out their threat.
Mba said the Nigerian Army should know that Igbo youths were prepared to die in pursuit of their freedom, stressing that “over five million of them are prepared to die should army make due its threat.”
In a statement following the threat by the Nigeria Army, MASSOB Director of Information, Uchenna Madu said it was unfortu­nate that the Army has de­cided to descend “so low by threatening non-violent Biafra agitators.”
Madu described the Army threat as “a sign of Biafra’s awesome powers that have enveloped the Nigeria sys­tem.”
In solidarity with Kanu’s trial in Abuja yesterday, his groups shut down markets in Aba, Abia State. Closure of such markets as Ariaria, Ahia Ohuru (New market), Eziukwu among others, caused many traders and visitors who were unaware of the planned closure to be stranded.
It was gathered that some IPOB members, on Tuesday evening, went round various markets in Aba, announcing that there won’t be trading activities in the respective markets as they reasoned it would be unfair for them to open for business while their son, (Nnamdi Kanu) would be standing trial over his call for a sovereign state of Biafra.
Reports from various markets indicated that IPOB members left in some commercial buses for Abuja ahead of the commence­ment of his trial which was scheduled to hold.