The Legal Aid Council on Tuesday withdrew from representing the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, accusing him of attempting to dictate how his case should be conducted.
Following the withdrawal, the Federal High Court in Abuja struck out an ex parte motion filed by Kanu, in which he sought his transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Centre to another custodial facility closer to the Federal Capital Territory.
Justice James Omotosho struck out the application after counsel from the Legal Aid Council, Demdoo Asan, applied to withdraw from the matter, citing irreconcilable differences with the applicant.
Addressing the court, Asan said that despite repeated efforts to engage Kanu’s relatives to support the application, none of them appeared to depose to the motion.
“Since the last adjourned date, I have been in constant phone communication with the relatives of the applicant. However, they did not show up at our office to depose to the application, despite phone calls and assurances,” he said.
The lawyer further accused the IPOB leader of attempting to control the conduct of the proceedings, including dictating what counsel should say in court.
“The applicant wants to dictate the tune of the matter; he wants to control what counsel would say. He even wants to write down what I would say in court. As an officer of the court, I cannot, in good faith, accept that,” Asan told the judge.
He added that after consulting with his superiors at the Legal Aid Council, a unanimous decision was reached to withdraw from the case, stressing that a client could not control legal proceedings from detention.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho commended the Legal Aid Council lawyer for upholding the dignity of the court and granted the application to withdraw.
“Having listened to counsel from the Legal Aid Council, I grant leave for the counsel and the Legal Aid Council to withdraw from representing the defendant-convict,” the judge ruled.
On the transfer request, the court held that the application was incompetent and struck it out.
“Although, in the interest of justice and fairness, the court directed that other parties be served with notice, there is no proof of service before this court from December 8, 2025, till today,” Omotosho added.
Kanu was convicted of terrorism-related offences on November 20 and sentenced to life imprisonment, a judgment his family has rejected, vowing to appeal.
Following his conviction, he was transferred from the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja to the Sokoto Correctional Centre, after the court ruled that Kuje was not suitable for him.
On December 8, 2025, Kanu filed an ex parte motion seeking relocation to a custodial facility closer to Abuja, proposing either the Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State or a facility in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
Kanu had earlier dismissed his legal team led by former Attorney General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi (SAN), and opted to represent himself during parts of the trial. While challenging the court’s jurisdiction, he repeatedly clashed with the trial judge, leading to an order for his removal from the courtroom.
During one of the proceedings, Kanu openly challenged the judge, prompting repeated warnings to seek proper legal representation.
“This is not economics; this is criminal prosecution,” Justice Omotosho had cautioned, urging him to consult qualified legal experts and stressing the complexity of criminal trials.