){kind=link}
A dramatic twist unfolded on Thursday in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as his entire legal team, led by prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kanu Agabi, withdrew from the case.
Agabi, who has been representing Kanu for months, informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that the defendant had opted to personally handle his defence.
The decision, he explained, prompted the team’s withdrawal from further legal representation.
Confirming the situation, Kanu told the court that he had decided to represent himself for now, though he might reconsider hiring another lawyer at a later stage.
“I have decided to take control of my own defence,” he said, when asked by the judge if he required legal assistance.
Despite the judge’s offer to assign him a lawyer, Kanu firmly declined, saying he would proceed alone.
He also challenged the legitimacy of the ongoing proceedings, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction to try him.
Legal observers described the mass withdrawal of the Senior Advocates as an unusual but strategic move that could reshape the direction of the trial.
A source familiar with the case said the decision stemmed from “irreconcilable differences in legal approach” between Kanu and his counsel.
Kanu’s latest position adds another layer of uncertainty to his long-running legal battle with the Nigerian government.
The IPOB leader has been facing multiple charges related to treasonable felony and his group’s agitation for self-determination.
AFRIPOST reports that his choice to act as his own lawyer could either complicate his defence or serve as a bold political statement in his struggle against the state.