The application for an Order of Mandamus to compel the Director General of the State Security Service (DSS) and the State Security Service, to allow Onyendu unhindered access to his personal physician to independently examine him, came up today, being the 3rd day of May, 2023, at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Today's hearing was truncated by the late-night Notice of Preliminary Objection filed by the State Security Service.
To our dismay, both the Federal Government of Nigeria and its State Security Service, have persisted in their established negative trend of always ambushing us with late-night filing of Court processes, despite sufficient notice to the effect of the hearing date.
Our legal team ably led by the legal iroko – Prof Mike Ozekhome (SAN), was ready to proceed with the hearing of the main application, despite the obvious delay tactics employed by the DSS to distort the scheduled hearing, however, the Court reluctantly indulged the Respondents, for the umpteenth time, but issued a stern warning to the SSS never to indulge in such delay tactics, as such would not be tolerated again.
It is pertinent to mention that when this matter was slated for hearing on the 21st day of February, 2023, the DSS ambushed us with their counter affidavit to our application filed at about 5:00PM on the 20th day of February, 2023. Despite this late hour service of court process on us, our erudite Lead Counsel, Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, insisted that we shall proceed with the hearing, in an apparent move to beat them to their own game. Our erudite legal team worked late into the night to ensure that we filed our reply and served same on the Respondents, on the morning of the 21st day of February, 2023. However, the matter did not go on because the Court did not sit on that day.
Nonetheless, the Court adjourned today’s proceedings to the 22nd day of May, 2023, for definite hearing.
Recall that we already have a date before the Supreme Court on the 11th day of May, 2023, for the hearing of the appeal on Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case.
We shall keep Ezigbo UmuChineke updated on every development in the litany of cases we filed against the Federal Government of Nigeria and her lawless Security Agencies over the criminal abduction and continued illegal detention of our indefatigable client – Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Thank you all and God bless you.
We move!
Signed:
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq. (KSC)
IPOB’s Lead Counsel
3rd May, 2023.
