A mild drama ensued on Tuesday at the resumption of the trial of the leader of the indigenous people of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, when the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, barred Kanu’s sister-in-law from three sittings.
The woman, identified as Favour Kanu, was accused of recording court proceedings during a previous sitting and allegedly publishing restricted content online.
Justice Omotosho recounted how he had previously warned Kanu and refrained from citing her for contempt.
Counsel for the IPOB leader, Kanu Agabi, appealed to the judge for forgiveness on her behalf, quoting The Bible and admitting that she owed the court an apology.
Favour, when called upon, claimed ignorance of the court still being in session and stated that she had stopped recording immediately after the warning.
“I didn’t know the court was seated. The moment you cautioned me, I stopped because it was a livestream,” she added.
But the judge, while listening to both explanations, temporarily excused Favour from attending the next three sittings.
He also reiterated the need for order and respect for the court’s processes, stating that things must be done properly and justice would be done.
