Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu returned to court yesterday for his treason trial before a new Federal High Court judge, Justice James Omotosho, amid fresh developments surrounding his conduct in previous proceedings.

Notably, Kanu offered an apology for his verbal attack on Justice Binta Nyako following the February 10 incident.

Kanu, now re-arraigned on a seven-count amended treason charge, acknowledged that his earlier actions were driven by anger and admitted that his outburst against Justice Nyako was unjust.

During the proceedings, his new lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN)—a former Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister—read a prepared statement in which he tendered the apology on Kanu’s behalf. He stated:

“That is why we are urged not to sail in a storm. The defendant in this case, Nnamdi Kanu, was angry.
“He has been angry for a long time and therefore he should not have spoken when he was angry.

“But he did. And he said the wrong things. He attacked the court. He attacked the prosecutor. He attacked his own lawyers.
“For that reason, he has authorised me to apologise on his behalf.

“He is sorry for his attacks on the judge, on the prosecutor and on his defence team.
“Firstly, I apologise to the Hon. Justice Binta Nyako. She is one of our best and most respected judges. She did not deserve the attacks upon her.

“They were unjustified.
“We apologise to Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, Chairman of the Body of Benchers and leader of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria in Abuja.
“Chief Awomolo has since distinguished himself by his humility, his dedication to the profession.
“He deserves our highest respect.”

Agabi continued, praising the resilience of Kanu’s former legal team:

“It is a credit to the members of that team that they still agree to defend him.
“It is clear from all that has transpired that he acted in anger.
“He spared no one. But by behaving the way he did, he imperiled himself more than any other person.
“I appeal to all those he offended to forgive him.
“We cannot all be of one mind. I respect the fact that when he felt that he had cause to disagree, his courage did not fail him to take a stand.

“And I respect the fact that when the government felt that he had exceeded the bounds of law, measures were taken to correct him.
“Like all men and women, he is not perfect. He holds himself out as representing the cause of the Igbos.
“On my part, I see the Igbos as a people who are irrepressible. They are a forward looking, hardworking and intelligent people.
“They are a very resilient people. They are an adventurous and fearless people.

“Who can oppress such a people? There are, in the nation, communities that can be described as oppressed, but surely not the Igbos.
“The Igbos are a people who, even now, are rendering a good account of the talents that God gave them.
“They have never wallowed in self-pity. There is urgent need to plead the cause of the oppressed in this country.

“A strong and fearless voice such as Nnamdi Kanu’s will aid that cause. And if he does so, that is what will truly immortalise him and exalt the name of the Lord and serve the cause of the unity of our country.
“I commend to us all the example of Col. Fajuyi, a Yoruba man, who laid down his life for Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi, an Igbo man.

“These are the kinds of men and women that the nation shall remember and immortalise.”

Agabi stressed that the time has come for peace and unity:

“We can and must make peace. The nation is rife with misgivings. There will always be misgivings.
“A time will never come when, as a nation, we shall all be of one mind.
“Whatever our misgivings, therefore, whether on the part of the government or the citizens, we must make allowance for error and proceed with prayer for forgiveness, just in case we may be wrong.

“In resolving our differences therefore, we must strive to save and not to destroy. Let us employ methods of peace and non-violence to resolve our differences.
“We must unite. Whether we are Christians or Muslims, whether we come from the east or the west, the north or the south, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are all children of God and citizens of one nation.
“We must reach out to one another across state and religious lines. We must forget the past and forge a new nation of peace, founded on truth and justice.

“The Nigeria of my dream is that in which Nigerians of whatever religion or tribe, whatever their states of origin, will hold high offices in states other than their own.”
“We must all work ceaselessly for peace and unity. No price is too great to be paid for peace.
“We are never going to have peace until we are willing to go the extra mile, to turn the other cheek and to add our coat when our cloak is taken.

“We should not lose sight of the supreme price that the Son of God Himself paid that we may have the peace that we are now dissipating.
“As he took our burdens upon himself in order that we may be reconciled to God, so we must be willing to take upon ourselves the burdens of one another so that together we can build a nation of righteousness and peace.”

After Kanu’s lead counsel finished, prosecuting lawyer Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) indicated readiness for trial and requested a short adjournment to allow the prosecution to gather its witnesses.

The court granted this request, scheduling the commencement of the trial for April 29, 2025.

Earlier in the day, during initial proceedings, Kanu had demanded that Justice Nyako recuse herself from the case, accusing her of failing to abide by a Supreme Court decision.

He reportedly exclaimed, “my lord, I have no confidence in this court anymore and I ask you to recuse yourself because you did not abide by the decision of the Supreme Court. I can understand it if the DSS refuse to obey a court order, but for this court to refuse to obey an order of the Supreme Court is regrettable. I am asking you to recuse yourself from this case.”
However, Awomolo countered that the Supreme Court had ordered that Kanu be tried on the remaining seven counts, urging the judge to disregard the request as “an incompetent observation.”

At one point, Kanu stood up and produced a document, claiming it was the subsisting judgment of the Supreme Court, and read a passage stating that the trial court’s actions “rendered the impartiality of the judge suspect.”

He then asserted, “But my lord, you know that I love you. It is just that this court is allowing the prosecution to railroad me into a trial that is at variance with every provision of the Constitution.”

Shortly afterward, Justice Nyako expressed her displeasure with his conduct and announced her decision to withdraw, stating, “I hereby recuse myself and remit the case file back to the Chief Judge.”

The Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho, later returned the file with instructions for a formal proceeding to decide whether she would withdraw completely.

Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Joseph Sunday Okwor, the first parish priest of Sacred Heart Parish, Akpugo, Nkanu West LGA, Enugu State, has passed away, DAILY GAZETTE reports.

Dr. Okwor was reported dead on Friday after a brief illness, leaving behind a legacy of faith, service, and dedication to the Catholic Church.

Born into a devout Christian family, Fr. Okwor dedicated his life to the priesthood and played a significant role in the growth of the church in Akpugo.

He was instrumental in establishing Sacred Heart Parish over forty years ago, nurturing its spiritual and infrastructural development, but was later transferred to Nsukka diocese.

Throughout his priestly ministry, he was widely respected for his deep commitment to pastoral care, evangelism, and community development.

A highly educated clergyman, Fr. Okwor earned a doctorate in theology and was known for his intellectual depth, humility, and unwavering devotion to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Mrs. Oreku Odogbunwebe, a grieving widow from Ndiagu Amofia Umuhu village in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzu LGA, Enugu State, has recounted the tragic killing of her only child, Deacon Donatus Ndubuisi, by suspected Fulani herdsmen on February 28.

Ndubuisi, fondly called “Ofunwa,” had traveled home from Enugu metropolis, where he was residing, to visit his mother.

According to Oreku, they had spent the morning together harvesting cassava, yam, and cowpeas on their farm before returning home.

As they went about their chores, gunshots suddenly rang out in the distance.

Initially, they did not think much of it until the sounds grew louder.

At that moment, Ndubuisi’s uncle, who was working in a nearby palm plantation, was shot.

Frightened, Oreku and her son ran in separate directions.

Unbeknownst to her, Ndubuisi had already been struck by a bullet. When the attackers eventually left, she began searching for him, calling out his name repeatedly, but there was no response.

A search party was later formed, and his lifeless body was discovered.

Devastated, Oreku lamented the irreparable loss of her only son.

“My own lineage and his lineage just closed because he is the only child of his father and my only child. That’s why I have refused to be consoled,” she cried.

She described Ndubuisi as a diligent and kindhearted young man, who had recently graduated from university and was preparing to begin his national youth service.

In addition to his academic achievements, he was also a skilled photographer and electrician.

Expressing her despair, Oreku said she had lost everything and was now struggling to survive.

“I need clothes, I need shelter to stay alive, and I need food. I am going to die of hunger because you can see me that I am no longer a child.”

She appealed to the government for assistance, particularly a place to live, as she was currently squatting in someone else’s home.

Oreku also called on authorities to take decisive action against the armed herdsmen responsible for her son’s death.

Reflecting on their last moments together, she recounted:

“I had told him to go and marry so that I will nurse his children when I am still strong. He would tell me if he goes and marries now, who will support him. We don’t have help, but God has been faithful.”

She narrated how her son had arrived home on February 27 to spend time with her.

He had planned to return to the city after the weekend, but the fateful attack cut his life short.

“That day, one of my relations met with him and told him that he should not sleep in Ndiagu Amofia (farm settlement). When my son came, he told me what our relation had said, but at the time he got to the settlement, it was already night. As a human and a mother, I asked him to stay back and sleep because night had already fallen. I was not comfortable letting him go back to the town that night.”

She recalled that he agreed to stay, and they spent the next morning working together.

“In the morning, we prayed together, and I asked him whether he would be going back that morning, but he said he would be going back to the town in the evening. He said he would accompany me to the farm that morning.”

“We left very early, and before 9:30 am, we were already back. We only harvested some cassava, yam, and cowpeas. When we came back, I cooked food and finished before 12 noon. After he assisted me in processing the cassava, he ate and fetched water for me.”

Later that day, while they were working at home, gunshots erupted nearby.

At first, they thought it might be the Fulani herdsmen again, but the sounds soon grew alarmingly close.

“We started hearing gunshots, but we didn’t know where the sounds were coming from. My son said maybe the Fulani herdsmen had come again. I told him that the gunshots were sounding different. It was around 2 pm that we started hearing the shooting.”

“We continued working, and after a short while, we heard another gunshot. This one sounded close, and we didn’t know that they had approached our house.”

“His uncle, who was inside the palm plantation clearing weeds, was the person the invaders shot. We didn’t know the next thing; my son shouted in a loud voice, ‘Jesus,’ and we ran. Because we didn’t know the direction the gunshot came from, we ran in different directions. I didn’t know that they had shot him.”

When the assailants finally retreated, Oreku frantically searched for her son.

“After they had gone, I came out and started looking for my son. I went through the direction he ran to, shouting his name, thinking that if he heard my voice, he would come out from where he was hiding.”

“After the search, I went to my brother, Osita, and informed him that I didn’t see my son after the attack. He then went and informed the entire Amofia village, and youths immediately formed a search party to look for him. That is how I lost my son, my only child.”

Struggling with unbearable grief, she recounted her family’s history of tragedy.

“All my relations died prematurely; his father also died tragically. He was killed by enemies, but I didn’t know that this kind of tragedy would befall me again.”

Despite her heartbreak, she recalled Ndubuisi’s selflessness and devotion.

“This, my son, was not a troublemaker. If he returned home and I asked him to go out and mingle with his peer group, he would ask me if that was what he returned for.”

“Even that fateful day, when we were returning from the farm, I asked him what items I would carry, and he asked me if I liked suffering. He carried all the things we harvested from the farm, and I followed him. That was the last help I would get from my son.”

She expressed frustration over the lack of meaningful support from authorities.

“The government people asked me whether I saw the assailants and knew that they were Fulani herdsmen. They didn’t even bring me food or anything to assist me. So, I told them how would I know the assailants. However, the chairman of the settlement saw the assailants and identified them as Fulani herdsmen.”

“It was the same day they killed my son that his house was razed by the same assailants. His nursing wife saw them when they invaded his house wielding AK-47 rifles and forced them to flee.”

She called on the government to take action, noting that such attacks had never happened in their community before.

“Fulani herdsmen, since they started coming to drink water from the Ebe Onuku River, had not crossed the river and entered our village until now. This is the first time they have done so. They are not living here; they are living in Agala land in Benue State.”

Her story is a sobering reminder of the human toll of insecurity and violence in the region.

While the government has promised to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice, many fear it may be too little, too late.

As the community mourns Ndubuisi’s death, tensions remain high.

Residents continue to call for justice and meaningful action to prevent future tragedies.