Trial Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered security officers to remove IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu from the courtroom on Thursday after Kanu repeatedly disrupted proceedings and insisted the court could not hand down judgement in the terrorism trial.
The judge made the decision as the court prepared to deliver a long-awaited ruling. Earlier in the session, Justice Omotosho dismissed fresh motions filed by Kanu, saying they re-raised matters that had already been dealt with.
He ruled that the attempt to stall the judgement was without merit and ran afoul of Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which bars stay of proceedings in criminal cases.
The court also denied Kanu’s latest bid for bail. Justice Omotosho said some of the issues raised in the motions would nonetheless be addressed in the final judgement.
When the judge began to read the decision, Kanu stood up and loudly protested, insisting the court lacked jurisdiction to proceed until his written address was admitted.
He shouted repeatedly that the court could not decide the case until the address was accepted, forcing Justice Omotosho to direct security agents to eject him from the courtroom.
