Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a N1 billion claim filed by Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), against the Federal Government and the Department of State Services.

The Judge held in his judgment that the IPOB leader failed to present evidence that his conversation with his lawyers were monitored by the DSS or that his lawyers were prevented from taking notes from him during the conversation.

As a result, Justice Omotoso concluded that there was no evidence to support his claim of being denied a fair hearing, and thus, the court rejected the lawsuit for lacking merit.

Kanu had filed the N1 billion suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1633/2023, through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, seeking the enforcement of his fundamental rights while in detention. The applicant filed an initiating application on December 4, 2023, against the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the DSS, and its DG as the first to fourth respondents, respectively.

The suit was filed under Order II, Rules 1 and 2 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009, among other provisions.

In the motion, the detained IPOB leader prayed for, “a declaration that the respondents’ act of forcible seizure and photocopying of confidential legal documents pertaining to facilitating the preparation of his defence which were brought to him at the respondents’ detention facility by his lawyers, amounted to denial of his rights to be defended by legal practitioners of his own choice”.

This, he claimed, amounted to a deprivation of his right to proper facilities for preparing his defence by legal practitioners of his choice.