An a Federal High Court has on Monday rule that the federal government can shield the witnesses that are billed to testify against leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice James Tsoho held that the request by the government for its witnesses to testify behind a witness screen did not amount to revisiting the court’s earlier ruling prohibiting the prosecution witnesses from wearing masks.
The judge upheld the argument of the prosecution led by the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mohammed Diri, that the screen would only shield the witnesses from the members of the public during the court session.
The judge also dismissed the request by Muoma that the court should discharge and acquit its witnesses because the prosecution failed to produce its witnesses to enable the trial to commence on Monday.
The judge also ruled that the provision of section 351(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 relied on by the defence to ask for the quashing of the charges, did not apply to the circumstances of the case.
He held that the court can only dismiss the charges against an accused person who is present in court when the complainant in the case is not represented in court.
The judge fixed Wednesday for the commencement of trial.
