The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has suspended proceedings in the ongoing criminal trial of Nnamdi Kanu pending a ruling on the admissibility of extra-judicial statements tendered by the Federal Government.
The proceedings are being conducted before James Omotosho, who ordered a trial-within-a-trial to determine whether the statements attributed to the defendant while in custody were made voluntarily.
During the trial-within-a-trial, defence counsel led by Paul Erokoro, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the statements, alleging that they were obtained under duress during the defendant’s detention by the Department of State Services. The defence also challenged the credibility of video materials tendered by the prosecution.
In response, counsel to the Federal Government, Suraj Saida, SAN, opposed the objections and called a witness from the Department of State Services, who denied the allegations of coercion and testified that the defendant was treated in accordance with due process and that the statements were made voluntarily.
Following the conclusion of evidence and submissions by both parties in the trial-within-a-trial, Justice Omotosho suspended further proceedings to enable the court to consider the arguments and deliver a ruling on whether the disputed statements would be admitted as evidence in the substantive trial.
What Next:
– Court to deliver a ruling on the admissibility of the disputed extra-judicial statements.
– Substantive trial to proceed in accordance with the court’s ruling.
