Lead counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), on Wednesday, raised the alarm at the Federal High court sitting in Abuja that his the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra was gradually going blind.
Ozekhome said Kanu, who is currently in the custody of the Department of State Service, DSS, may go blind if nothing was urgently done to restore his sight.
He said that the DSS operatives seized his client’s glasses during an arrest in 2015 when he had just returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom.
He equally told the court that a new pair that Kanu bought was also seized from him during his extraordinary rendition from Kenya.
Ozekhome argued: “My lord, since 2015, his glasses were taken from him.
“The one he wore before his extraordinary rendition from Kenya was also taken from him.
“Till now, he does not have glasses to wear and his sight is deteriorating. My Lord, we do not want the Defendant to go blind; that is why we have decided to bring it to the attention of the court.”
Ozekhome also noted that despite an order of the court, the DSS had not allowed his client to have a change of clothing.
Recall that during a sitting on January 18, Justice Nyako gave an order to the Department of State Services (DSS) to allow Kanu, to change his clothes.
He alleged that the security agency refused to allow Kanu to receive new clothes that were brought to him by his younger brother, Emmanuel.
“My Lord will still see the defendant in the same uniform which my lord warned against in the last proceedings. It will be recalled that they had on that day alleged that he said that he preferred to wear the same cloth because it is designers.
“However, since that time, the younger brother of the defendant, his lawyer and sister have gone three times with materials for him to change, but they refused to collect them.
“So bad was it that Ejiofor had to call the Director of Legal Services and complained to him.
“The Director told him that he would do something about it, that he would contact the Director of Operations to ensure that the order was carried out.
“But since then, nothing has been done. They have not allowed him to change his clothes.”
The presiding judge, trial Justice Binta Nyako, said she would look into the matter.
