00:00Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday ruled that the detained Biafra agitation leader, Namdi Kano, has case to answer, because the Nigeria government prosecution team have provided some evidence that requires explanations from the detained Biafra leader, this.
00:18The coordinating lawyer to Namdi Kano, Barrister Aloieji Makor said the judgment of the court does not mean Namdi Kano has been pronounced guilty, rather, the ruling indicated that he should give explanations to certain evidences the federal government of Nigeria brought before the court.
00:35It would be recalled that the ruling on the no-case submission filed by Namdi Kano that was earlier slated to be held on October 10, 2025, was abridged and rescheduled to Friday, 26 September 2025.
00:50Justice James Omotosho also rejected request by Kano to be transferred from custody of the Department of State Services, DSS to the National Hospital Abuja for medical examination over alleged deteriorating health issues.
01:04The court subsequently ordered the president of Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, to constitute an investigation committee to examine Kano's medical condition and submit a report to it in eight days following objection by DSS to his request to be transferred to National Hospital for second opinion on his health condition.
01:24We had earlier in the year reported that the case between the federal government of Nigeria and the detained leader of the indigenous people of Biafra, Namdi Kano apparently took a new technical twist after one of the lawyers of the detained Biafra leader, Paul Ericoro, San, presented and played three videos which the federal high court sitting in Abuja later admitted in evidence.
01:47The videos of former Nigeria chief of army staff, retired General Theophilus Danjoma, saying, security operatives in the West Africa country, specifically, the armed forces are working together with the armed bandits to kill Nigerians, stressing that, if Nigerians depend on the armed forces to curb insecurity, they will all die one by one.
02:09Also that of Governor Hope Uzo Danjoma of IMHO state, saying, politicians are behind killings in the state.
02:16Lastly and the most interesting video played at the court to counter the testimony or statement made by the DSS prosecutor witness over Namdi Kano led IPOB founding Eastern Security Network, ESN allegedly created by group of youths in the southeastern geopolitical zone of Nigeria often referred to as Biafra land to fight in self-defense against Fulani armed bandits or terrorists that were advancing and killing people in the eastern states during the era of president.
02:46President Muhammadu Buhari was that of the director general of the Department of State Services, DSS, Adeola Ajayi, who is apparently the government chief complainer in the case, and the DSS DG in the video recorded and published by Symfony News Media in February 2025, narrated how youths of the Zare community in Katagum local government area and Tafawa Balewa community of Tafawa Balewa local government area in Bauchi state,
03:15when the DSS DG was the state director of state security services, SSS, resorted to self-help and killed all Boko Haram terrorists that came to attack them without depending on the security operatives.
03:28According to the DSS DG, when Boko Haram terrorists invaded Azare community, they started shooting and killing people, then, the youths went after the Boko Haram terrorists and killed all of them even when one of the Boko Haram terrorists named Khalid climbed a tree and started firing gunshots from the tree towards the people who were on the lower ground.
03:50The Azare people resisted and went after him and subsequently killed him, although the federal government prosecution witness identified as BBB who is a DSS operative,
04:02stated that the ESN is an illegal organization because there is no approval of government given to the people of Southeast to establish such a self-help group to defend their land against terrorists,
04:12unlike a Motech and security network in the Southwest states that was approved and permitted by the government, also claiming, his boss, the DSS DG in the video was asking communities to build the first line of defense
04:26by thus working with security operatives, but, a careful and detailed study of the DSS DG speech in the video shows that the FG witness, BBB probably talked off points,
04:38totally off-key from the original intent and intention of Mr. Adeola Ajayi, the DSS DG teachings and advice in the video,
04:46who had said the Azare community people acted in quick response to an emergency situation,
04:51and the storyline indicated that the people of Azare prepared themselves in advance likely purchasing and acquiring firearms equivalent to AK-47 riffles to be able to face and kill all the Boko Haram terrorists
05:05that invaded the community as narrated by the DSS DG, and if true, the DSS DG, the chief complainer must also be ordered to appear before the court as a defender in the case
05:16to present a certified true copy of government approval given to Azare people to defend themselves,
05:23or prove beyond reasonable doubts how the people of Azare community were able to kill,
05:28merely with the bare hands all the Boko Haram terrorists that invaded their community with high precision weapons of mass destructions,
05:36in addition, the DSS DG in the video probably advocated for the need for all individuals in Nigeria to have a gun,
05:43because, he gave an example of a visit to the United States of America, USA, when his host in the US heard a police siren sound,
05:53he quickly brought out his gun and said, if the criminal chased after by the US police ran into his apartment,
06:00he would use the gun to kill the criminal suspect, and that not all,
06:04the DSS DG in the video also recalled and referenced the words of Nigeria former head of state, retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babingida
06:13that if insecurity must end in Nigeria, Nigerians must be ready to resort to self-help like the people of Azare community did.
06:21The ruling simply requires the defendant to enter his defense.
06:28It's not a pronunciation of guilt or not guilty.
06:32So that is why it's called a no-case submission.
06:34So the judgment, the ruling, that there is a primal fact, sheer evidence, that needs to be explained.
06:39So in common parlance, it calls on him to come and mount his own defense.
06:44But there is the other aspect of the ruling that concerns extraordinary rendition.
06:48That very one is one that compounded us.
06:53Because the extraordinary rendition of Martin Namdekano is so open and notorious.
06:58Two international institutions or two separate partners of the United Nations have made pronouncements
07:05regarding his extraordinary rendition and called for his unconditional release.
07:09Nigeria is a member of the United Nations and they are therefore bound to consider that and implement that decision.
07:16And in Nigeria here, three courts have made similar pronouncements.
07:22First was by the Federal High Court of Omaha, which awarded him 500 million Naira.
07:27And the Court of Appeal also pronounced that he was a victim of a extraordinary rendition.
07:32And in the Supreme Court, the same Supreme Court has sent this case back to trial, reached the same conclusion.
07:42That he was a victim of a extraordinary rendition.
07:45And all these things are of the record.
07:47They are all in the file.
07:48And we remember, when this trial was being conducted, these very documents were attended in evidence.
07:55So it compounded us, it confused us, that the court now made a pronouncement that the extraordinary rendition had no evidence before the court.
08:06That no evidence of it was submitted before the court.
08:08And we remember, least but not the last, recently a Kenyan High Court made the same pronouncement.
08:14But well, if the court was mislaid by believing, by mistake, that these things were not in evidence,
08:22it also said and left the door open that such evidence be submitted.
08:27So we are coming back with that evidence and it's going to be quantum and lesion.
08:31What about the first application on the enemy?
08:33Well, that one too, it wasn't in evidence that the Nigerian Medical Association has intervened.
08:41So it came as a surprise.
08:42Well, there's a short date given of eight days for the NMA to submit this report.
08:47So somebody is ill, somebody is ill.
08:49You know, I don't think NMA is going to change much of that.
08:52But I think the judge wanted to leave the record open to admit every possible evidence regarding this matter.
09:00But meantime, we are disappointed.
09:02Our client remains ill and remains detained.
09:05And we are not happy about that.
09:07His situation requires urgent and urgent care.
09:10So whatever the court says today does not mean that the government shall withdraw back.
09:15Just two days ago, I wrote a letter, a private hospital has also expressed readiness to admit him here in Abuja.
09:22For security reasons, I won't mention the name of the private hospital.
09:25But if the government appears to have issues with taking him to the national hospital, we have given them an option of a private hospital also here in Abuja.
09:35So it's safe to say that the application to be transferred to the national hospital was rejected?
09:42Rejected? No, it's pending.
09:44Yes.
09:45One other information.
09:46It hasn't been rejected.
09:47It's pending.
09:48It's pending the admission of risk report from the Nigerian Medical Association and the opinion of Nigerian Medical Association.
09:55And, you know, if you were in court, the judge had ordered that the committee or panel to be considered by the Nigerian Medical Association shall have a member from the national hospital.
10:05So the national hospital is still in play.
10:07Ossas who are on level, bringing youth the news in a more digital way.
Comments