Nnamdi Kanu's USD$800 million Suit at Ecowas court; Nigeria Government always on the Run.

Nnamdi Kanu's fundamental Rights Suit filed against the federal government of Nigeria at ECOWAS Community court of Justice, came up this morning for hearing. Despite due service of the Hearing Notice on the office of the Attorney General of the Federation against the hearing slated for today, he was no where to be found close to the court today.

A supposed Senior State Counsel who announced appearance for the office of the Attorney General, later informed the court that he did not have the mandate of the Solicitor General of the Federation to proceed with the hearing, and consequently asked for a stand down to to 1pm to enable the Solicitor General conclude an unknown Case he was handling at the Supreme Court.

At 1pm the matter was stood down at their request, the hearing couldn't go on due to absence of the Solicitor General of the Federation, assigned to handle the matter. Their application for adjournment to enable the office of the Attorney General of the federation put their house in order was vehemently opposed by me. Though the court reluctantly granted them adjournment after a terse argument, but however deferred further consideration on our application for cost of N2million naira to the next adjourned date.

It is pertinent to inform the world that the Solicitor General of the Federation has been in the practice of asking for adjournment in this suit any time it comes up for hearing. At the penultimate court session, the matter came up for hearing, he routed a letter to the office of the Registrar of ECOWAS Community court of Justice requesting for adjournment, reason being that he was to appear before a Municipal court in Nigeria, an application which the court reluctantly granted, though not without cautioning the Solicitor General to be more diligent in defending the suit.

Since the Federal Government preliminary objection, challenging the competency of the Suit was struck out by the Community court, the federal government has been adopting all forms of delay tactics to frustrate the hearing of the Suit. Our findings now revealed that the Solicitor General at whose instance today's adjournment was granted never appeared in Supreme Court today.

When the deliberate ploy to truncate the proceedings relying on flimsy excuses for adjournment is juxtaposed with the hurried manner the federal government obtained the reprehensible exparte order of court proscribing ipob and designating same as a terrorist group, the manifest conspiracy and bad intentions will be exposed the more.

Now the suit has been adjourned to the 21st day of November 2017 for definite hearing, it is our hope, that neither the Attorney General of the federation nor his Solicitor General will be appearing before the Supreme Court on that day. In a society with track records of impunity and lack of respect for judicial institution, anything goes.

What we are asking for is justice before the regional court and nothing more. Federal Government should be bold enough to defend the inactions of their security agents. USD$800millin compensatory damages we are asking for in this Suit is not too big a cost that cant be afford by the government on account of the gross violation of my Client's fundamental rights.

© Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor