Court to deliver judgment in Nnamdi Kanu’s suit against DSS

A Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed July 20 for judgment in a suit filed by Nnamdi Kanu, Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), against the Department of State Services (DSS) seeking an order to allow him unhindered access to his medical doctor.

Justice Binta Nyako fixed the date after Kanu’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, and lawyer to the DSS, A.M. Danlami, adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the suit.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kanu, through his team of lawyers led by Ozekhome, had sued the DSS and its Director General as 1st and 2nd respondents in the matter.

Kanu, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/ 2341/2022, prayed the court for permission to apply for an order of mandamus to compel the DSS to allow him have unhindered access to his medical doctor, among others.

The court had, on Feb. 1, granted Kanu, the permission to apply for an order of mandamus he sought after an ex-parte motion moved by Ozekhome to the effect.

But in a preliminary objection filed by the DSS, the security outfit urged the court to dismiss the suit for want of jurisdiction.

It argued that there was a subsisting judgement of a sister court delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo (rtd.) on June 3, 2022 in suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1585/2021 between Kanu and DG of DSS and two others wherein the court dealt substantially with the issue of allowing the IPOB leader access to his personal physician.

It said the instant suit was similar to the earlier one and that Kanu had filed an appeal against the judgment.

Upon resumed hearing, Ozekhome told the court that the motion dated Feb. 2, was served on the respondents Feb. 3, seeking for an order of mandamus against the respondents to allow the IPOB leader unfettered access to his doctor in accordance with the earlier order of Justice Nyako, which he alleged had been flouted by the DSS.Nation