Kanu A date has actually been fixed for the hearing of an essential rights case instituted by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, fixed February 28 to hear the suit.

Justice Taiwo fixed the date after counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Idowu Awo, informed the court that his customers had a counter-affidavit that had not been served on Kanu.

Awo, at the resumed hearing prayed the court for more time to change the service of the application on Kanu’s attorney, Maxwell Opara.

Opara explained the request of the DSS lawyer as an attempt to continue to subject his customer to singular confinement and other inhuman treatments.

He argued that the counter affidavit by the DSS was currently filed out of time.

Okpara stated even though the application was dated January 28 and counsel to the DSS has his contact, it was not served on him previously.

The lawyer to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Simon Enock, notified that he had actually filed a movement for an extension of time to regularise their counter affidavit.

The application was neither opposed by counsel to the IPOB leader, Opara nor the DSS lawyer.

Justice Taiwo, who noted that the matter was coming before him for the very first time, fixed the matter till February 28 for hearing.

Kanu had taken legal action against the DSS Director-General, DSS and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, over the offense of his essential human rights.

The IPOB leader through his legal representative had actually hoped the court to ask the respondents while carrying out their lawful responsibilities should follow the arrangements of Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution (as changed) and the Africa Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act; as relates to the rights of citizens of Nigeria.

ToriNG