Protest: Court remands Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, brother in Kuje prison

A Magistrate Court in Kuje, FCT, has remanded Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, a defence counsel to the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the custodial centre in Kuje over the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest. In an X post on Tuesday, Ejimakor stated that the magistrate court refused to consider their submission for […]

A Magistrate Court in Kuje, FCT, has remanded Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, a defence counsel to the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the custodial centre in Kuje over the #FreeNnamdiKanu protest.

In an X post on Tuesday, Ejimakor stated that the magistrate court refused to consider their submission for bail, instead remanding them until Friday.

Ejimakor was arrested alongside Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel and 10 others during the protest in Abuja.

“I am safe and sound but still under custody at Kuje prison. The magistrate refused to listen to our submissions. He insisted on remanding us till Friday and got his way. For context: Keep in mind that they bypassed several magistrate courts in town and headed to this one in Kuje,” he posted.  

Meanwhile, lawyers have clarified that there is no provision under the Legal Professional Code of Conduct that prohibits a lawyer from participating in a peaceful protest.

During the protest on Monday, a presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, called on Nigeria’s legal regulatory bodies to sanction Ejimakor for participating in the ongoing #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja.

According to Onanuga, Ejimakor’s participation in the protest undermines legal ethics, given that Kanu’s case is still before a competent court.

“I spotted Aloy Ejimakor, one of Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers, among the small group of protesters mobilised in Abuja by Omoyele Sowore,” Onanuga wrote.

“I wonder what Mr Ejimakor was thinking when he decided to join this shambolic protest. As a lawyer, he should be aware of the principle of sub judice, particularly in relation to the ongoing treason case before the court.”

Reacting, Barrister Inibehe Effiong posted, “I am not aware of any law or ethical rule in the legal profession that prohibits a legal practitioner or a counsel on record from taking part in a peaceful demonstration to ask or demand the release of his client.”

He called on Onanuga to address the violence unleashed on peaceful protesters.

Similarly, E.M.D. Umukoro Esq, said the disciplinary committee of the legal practitioners’ committee has been unable to come up with a complete gamut of what constitutes misconduct.

“Kanu’s lawyer participating in a protest has nothing to do with the criminal matter before the court, and the call is on a different matter dealing with the political aspect of the matter,” he said.

“This protest was not to the court but on the street, and the slogans were to the president and the government, not against the court.

“Participating in a lawful assembly cannot be said to be an act of professional misconduct.”

However, Hameed Jimoh Esq, who said he could not provide specific rules of conduct violated by Kanu’s lawyer, asked lawyers involved in the court to be circumspect to avoid the consequences of unethical conduct.