Biafra: Confusion As ECOWAS Court Adjourns Kanu’s Case To Oct. 10 Due To Negligence

ABUJA— There was mild confusion at the premises of the ECOWAS Court, today, as news came that the regional court has adjourned judgment on the fundamental human rights suit filed by the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to 10th of
October, 2017.

The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice sitting in Abuja, had earlier fixed the date of hearing on the matter on 17th of May which was later shifted to 18th May, in a document sent to Kanu’s lawyer, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor.

However, when Biafra Writers correspondents arrived at the court, one of the court staff who approached few Biafrans standing outside the court said there was no case that will be entertained by the court today.

He further stated that the regional court in a letter sent to Barrister Ejiofor had fixed date for the hearing on 16th of May which they failed to appear before the court, urging them to call Ejiofor for further clarifications.

However, when Ejiofor arrived at the court, he tendered a document sent to him by the court, indicating that the hearing was scheduled to hold today, 18th of May.

Addressing Kanu’s supporters after slugging it out with the court, Barrister Ejiofor explained that there was a typographical error in the document sent to him by the court which fixed 18th May as the date for hearing.

He said: “We were served with this process of adjournment the same day I was at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
  "You know that this case is supposed to come up on 27th of April for hearing, then on that day, we received this message from ECOWAS, adjourning our matter to 18th which is today.

“When I was in my office, I looked at this document, seeing the notice given here that the application has been adjourned for hearing to 16th of May, 2017 at 10 O'clock.

“Please, note that the earlier date of 27th which was the day it’s supposed to come up has been deferred at the instance of the Court to the 18th day of May, 2017.

“The matter which was supposed to be heard on 27th of May, was adjourned on the instance of the court and not by the parties involved, because they(ECOWAS), said it was not convenient for them to sit.
“So, when I came here, they now understood that they made a mistake and they have been apologizing to us.

“Had it been that the matter came up two days ago(16th May), it wouldn’t have sat because one of the judges who supposed to participate in the panel took ill. They didn’t sit yesterday, they didn’t sit today.”

Kanu’s legal counsel stated that he had to clarify the issue because Kanu’s case is a matter of international interest.

He said: “People are watching, people are following up this proceedings, I don’t want us to give wrong impression to people. I explained this to them and they have been apologizing and I understood also that this is a case of typographical error on their part.”


Ejiofor also dismissed growing insinuations that the regional court may have been compromised by agents of the Federal government which as a result, has warranted their incessant adjournment on his client’s case.

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