19 February 2022. Premium Times, Nigeria: The Federal High Court in Abuja is considering changing the venue of the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to address the challenges it poses for court staff and other activities of the court.
Business owners, public servants and users of adjoining roads always face a lot of difficulties whenever the proceedings hold at the court complex along Shehu Shagari Road leading to Maitama, Abuja.
The Sun reported that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, disclosed the plan to change the venue of the trial to ease the challenges associated with the trial during a courtesy visit to him by the newly elected executives of the Abuja chapter of Nigerian Bar Association (Unity Bar) on February 16.
Mr Tsoho, who said the court was working on a long-term solution to the problem, lamented the restrictions security agents had to put in place during the trials.
He lamented how the measures always prevented lawyers and other litigants with ongoing cases from entering the court because of the trial.
He described the road blockage and tight security measures put in place during the trial as a worrisome development for the courts, lawyers, and litigants, as other courts presided by other judges cannot function anytime the case comes up.
Mr Tsoho said even though it was challenging, the court could not prevent the situation.
“It is not truly the making of the court,” Mr Tsoho said, adding that the security arrangement was something that had been “forced upon the court as a necessary action due to the high number of people interested the trial.”
“If you observed, for those who were at the last hearing, the matter came up, but of course, the roads were free because the matter was shifted to late afternoon. The security operatives were advised not to close the access roads to the court until the time proximate to the trial. We are improving along the line,” Mr Tsoho said.
