Court orders Malami to pay N200,000 to Nnamdi Kanu’s co-defendants

Abuja Federal High Court has ordered the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to pay N200 to Nnamdi Kanu‘s co-defendants.

The court gave the order following the absence of the Federal Government’s lead counsel, Mr Shuaib Magaji Labaran, for the trial of four co-defendants of Nnamdi Kanu on Wednesday.

The court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako ordered that each of the defendants be paid the sum of N50,000 by Malami because of the inconveniences they suffered due to the absence of the lead counsel to the Nigerian government.

The judge further ordered that the N200, 000 must be paid to the defendants before the adjourned date of March 17. 

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The four defendants, Bright Chimezie, Chidiebere Onwudike, Benjamin Maduagwu, and David Nwaurusi, had through their lawyers, said they suffered to raise funds for their transportation to Abuja. 

The judge had called for the case during the day’s proceeding but no legal representation came for the Federal Government.

But as the judge was about to adjourn the matter, one Mrs Adewumi Aluko from the Federal Ministry of Justice came in to inform the court that the Federal Government’s lead counsel was out of the country.

She said that two witnesses were in court but would not want to proceed in the absence of the lead counsel. She apologised and sought an adjournment.

Justice Nyako, who was not pleased with her apology, asked the Federal Government to be more serious in the trial of the defendants.

Extending similar counselling to the defence lawyers, the judge warned that frivolous applications should no longer be used to delay the trial which started since 2015.