February 16, (THEWILL) – Counsel to the leader of the proscribed Indegeneous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has raised an alarm that the sight of the detained leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has deteriorated.
Ozekhome told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that Kanu, who is currently in custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), may go blind, if nothing was urgently done to restore his sight.
He told Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, that his client’s pair of eyeglasses was confiscated in 2015, when he was initially arrested by DSS operatives, following his return to Nigeria from the United Kingdom.
Ozekhome equally told the court that a new pair, which Kanu bought was also seized from him during his extradition to Nigeria.
The IPOB leader who is facing a 15-count terrorism charge leveled against him by the Federal government also appeared in the same outfit he has worn since the commencement of his trial since June 2021.
Ozekhome said despite an express order of the court, the DSS declined to allow Kanu to have a change of clothing.
He alleged that the DSS refused to allow Kanu receive new clothes, which were brought to him by his younger brother, Emmanuel.
“My Lord will still see the defendant in the same uniform which my Lord warned against in the last proceedings.
“It will be recalled that they had on that day alleged that he said that he preferred to wear the same cloth because it is designers.
“However, since that time, the younger brother of the defendant, his lawyer and sister have gone three times with materials for him to change, but they refused to collect them.
“So bad was it that Ejiofor had to call the Director of Legal Services and complained to him”, said Ozekhome.
