Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja refused to accept Prince Emmanuel Kanu’s attempt to appear in court for his brother, Nnamdi Kanu, on Thursday, ruling that Emmanuel is not a legal professional.
Nnamdi Kanu, the recently convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who was sentenced to life imprisonment, had filed a new request asking to be moved to a prison in Sokoto.
The application was presented to the court by Emmanuel Kanu.
Emmanuel informed the judge that since Nnamdi Kanu could not personally attend to argue the motion, the judge should proceed to hear the matter without him.
Kanu had argued that moving him to a correctional facility closer to Abuja would be in the interest of justice, as it would allow him to properly pursue his appeal.
However, when the case was called, Justice Omotosho declined to recognize the appearance of Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel, who had tried to represent the IPOB leader.
The judge told Emmanuel that he was not permitted to move the application because he is not a qualified lawyer.
The trial judge firmly stated, “This ex parte motion cannot be moved on the convict’s behalf because you are not a legal practitioner.”
He advised the applicant to either hire a qualified lawyer or seek assistance from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria for appropriate legal representation, as required by law.
The judge explained: “When I said representation, it is not his (Kanu’s) father, brother, sister or relations I meant. I mean his counsel.”
“I am not going to the merit of this application now in the interest of justice. But you cannot represent a human being when you are not a lawyer; you can only represent a corporate body.”
“Therefore, you cannot move the application because you are not a solicitor or advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. For you to be qualified as a lawyer, it will take you another six years or thereabout. So get a counsel to move the application,” the judge concluded.
Acknowledging the court’s decision, Emmanuel then requested a new date for the hearing.
Justice James Omotosho consequently adjourned the motion to December 8.
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