Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out an ex-parte motion filed by the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, seeking his transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Facility.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Kanu’s counsel, Demdoo Asan, a Senior Legal Officer with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, informed the court of his intention to withdraw from the matter, citing irreconcilable differences with the applicant.
Asan told the court that since the last adjourned date, he had been in constant communication with Kanu’s relatives, urging them to visit the Legal Aid Council office to depose to the application. However, despite repeated phone calls and assurances, the relatives failed to appear.
He further disclosed that Kanu attempted to dictate how the proceedings should be conducted and insisted on controlling what counsel would say in court.
“He wants to write down what I would say while in court. But as an officer of the court, I cannot, in good faith, accept that,” Asan stated.
The counsel added that after consulting with his superiors at the Legal Aid Council, they shared the same position.
“As officers of the court, when a matter comes to us, we handle it as we deem professionally appropriate. Otherwise, the applicant is free to seek legal representation elsewhere,” he said.
Asan subsequently invoked Order 50, Rule 1 of the Federal High Court Rules to formally withdraw from representing the defendant.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho commended the counsel for upholding the dignity and integrity of the court and granted leave for both Asan and the Legal Aid Council to withdraw from the case.
The judge noted that the ex-parte motion before the court was incompetent. He added that, in the interest of justice and fairness, all relevant parties ought to have been properly served.
Justice Omotosho observed that there was no proof of service on record since the last adjourned sitting on December 8, 2025. Consequently, he ordered that the motion be struck out for lack of competence.
