TWO lawyers nearly came to blows at an Abuja Magistrates Court as they fought over the right to represent Radio Biafra director and militant separatist Nnamdi Kanu currently being held by security agents.

Earlier this month, Mr Kanu was apprehended in Lagos after arriving from the UK where he runs a pirate radio station. On October 19, he was arraigned on charges of criminal conspiracy, managing and belonging to an unlawful society as well as criminal intimidation, offences that are contrary to sections 97 and 397 of the Penal Code.

Yesterday, lawyers, Ezechukwu Obete and Gabriel Ebule, battled each other for the right to represent Mr Kanu, when the federal government’s case against him came up before a Magistrate’s Court in Wuse Zone Two, Abuja. Both lawyers flaunted different letters appointing them to defend the accused person.

Although Mr Kanu was not present in court, a number of his supporters were seen in the premises throughout the period the proceedings lasted. However, the dispute between the two lawyers over his legal representation made the presiding magistrate Shuaibu Usman, to order the Department of State Services (DSS) to produce Mr Kanu on Monday to enable him to identify his desired counsel.

Prosecuting counsel Moses Idakwo, said the DSS did not produce the accused because the court’s business for the day was for the hearing of an applicatn by the accused challenging its jurisdiction to entertain the charges preferred against him. However, the magistrate reminded the prosecutor that he had on October 23, 2015 ordered that the accused person must always be present in court each time the matter came up regardless of what the proceedings were about.

Magistrate Usman said the criminal proceedings could not continue in the absence of the accused person and therefore, ordered the prosecutor to unfailingly produce the accused before the court on November 23, 2015. Mr Ebule, who first announced his appearance for the accused person, had informed the court that he represented the accused person on October 19, 2015 when he was arraigned.

He produced a letter which he said was written by the wife of the accused person appointing him as the defence lawyer. The prosecutor had also confirmed that the notice of preliminary objection scheduled for hearing on Wednesday was served on him by Ebule.

However, Mr Obete produced two letters, one of which he said was written by the Indigenous People of Biafra and signed by an official of the group, Alphonsus Mefor, appointing him as lawyer. The second letter produced by Obete which he said appointed him to defend the accused was said to be dated October 16 and written by the father of the accused person and the traditional ruler of Afara-Ukwu community in Abia State. 

Mr Obete, who said he was based in Enugu, noting that Mr Ebule only capitalised on his absence from the previous proceedings. He said he arrived in Abuja late on the day of the previous proceedings because he got the notice late.