Set back for IPOB as America, Britain reject Nnamdi Kanu’s request to observe his trial

*We don’t attend court case involving British national – UK

The Muhammadu Buhari government of Nigeria continues to gain ground against terrorists and other agents of insecurity, hoping to secure international support against the sovereign nation’s power to bring them to justice, as they keep turning deaf ears to their unpatriotic appeals.

This is also as the United States of America and the British governments turned down a request by the leader of the terrorist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to send representatives to observe his trial holding at the Federal High Court, Abuja Division on January 18, 19, and 20.

It will be recalled that similar efforts to get international community back them against Nigeria’s action suspending Twitter operations not only failed but were also subsumed because Abuja succeeded in making the American social media network helplessly bow to the rules of doing business in its country.

While the US said that it was limiting its employees from attending public gatherings, the UK explained that it does not normally attend a court case involving a British national.

The US Embassy and the British High Commission reportedly said these in separate responses to media inquiries.

Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, had last Wednesday, written to the US and UK missions in Nigeria, stating that the presence of their representatives would ensure a fair hearing for his client, a development slammed by many as some bad eggs in the Igbo Land continuously dragging Nigeria to outside world as if the country is not sovereign enough to handle its own internal mattes by itself.

The terrorist group leader is facing a seven-count amended charge preferred against him by the Federal Government.

The letter titled, ‘Request for delegate(s)/representative(s) to observe court proceedings …In Re: Charge NO. FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, Federal Republic of Nigeria V. Nnamdi Kanu’, read in part, “May we, gratefully, please, request you to send representative(s) to observe the proceedings of the court on those adjourned dates and on any other date to which further proceedings in the case may be adjourned until the matter is disposed of.

“The need to ensure that our client is given a fair trial has compelled us to make this request. The instant request is compelling in the circumstance, to ensure that the whole process of our client’s trial is fair and just in all circumstances. It must be remembered that his purported indictment on criminal charges has a political undercurrent.”

Ejiofor argued that the FG has a profound interest in the criminal charge pending against his client and the outcome of his trial.

But the US Mission, which disclosed that it is following the trial closely, declared that its officials would not attend the court.

It stated, “The US Mission Nigeria is following the trial of Nnamdi Kanu closely. The US Department of State is limiting employees from attending public gatherings.”

In its response, the British High Commission acknowledged Kanu’s status as a Briton, but stated, “The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) would not normally attend a court case involving a British national, but where we do consider it appropriate to attend, our consular staff would do so in an observational capacity only.”

When asked by Punch to clarify if the commission would send observers to the trial which begins on Tuesday (today), the British High Commission’s spokesman, Dean Hurlock, said, “We can only offer you this as our response.”