Operatives of State Security Service (SSS) on Thursday treated lawyers of detained Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, like criminals while on a court-ordered visit to the seccessionist leader detained in its facility.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead counsel of the Mr Kanu, made this known in an update he provided after the visit, saying him and his team were dehumanised while visiting their client.
Mr Ejiofor said although the visit was successful, there was need to let the public know about the strange experience which borders on the improper treatment of lawyers in the course of conducting a court-ordered visit to their client who is undergoing trial on treasonable charges.
He said lawyers on this visit were searched in a manner akin to a situation where hardened criminals are being searched for possible incriminating substance/object.
“They were traumatized not only because they were inhumanly treated as criminals on investigation, but Lawyers were further dehumanized after this embarrassing and unwarranted frisking, by being allowed to wear only slippers, after being divested of their shoes, reading glasses and writing materials, to visit their Client,” the lead counsel claimed.
“Though, it readily called for immediate intervention of the Court seized of the matter because it is our right as clearly backed up by the Order of the Court, to visit Our Client on these specified dates and times, but subjecting Lawyers to inhuman treatment in the course of conducting a legitimate visit, is what we consider unjustified and unacceptable,” he added.
He said the alien style is targeted at imputing fears in them and vowed to resist it within the confines of extant laws.
Mr Kanu, he also said, is in strong spirit, and was fully briefed on this ill-treatment meted out to his legal representative during the visit.
