DSS DG summoned for contempt over Nnamdi Kanu’s detention in Abuja

A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a summons to Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), to address allegations of contempt concerning the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The summons, dated October 24, 2024, mandates the DG to appear in court and provide justification for the DSS’s actions that allegedly disregard prior court orders.

The directive comes after the DSS reportedly denied Kanu’s lawyers three-day weekly visitation rights to prepare his legal defense, as previously ordered by Justice Binta Nyako. On October 22, Kanu’s legal team, led by Aloy Ejimakor, was reportedly barred from seeing him under the DG’s directive, sparking the contempt proceedings.

The court’s notice, now also served to the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and federal prosecution counsel Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), underscores a persistent legal standoff surrounding Kanu’s rights.

Kanu, who faces seven charges of treasonable felony, had earlier sought Justice Nyako’s recusal, yet the case remains within her jurisdiction.

This development underscores the ongoing legal and human rights discourse over detainees’ treatment in Nigeria.