By Palladium
Last Monday, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, put up a spectacular show at the Federal High Court in Abuja as he fulminated against nearly everyone, judge and advocates alike. He spoke as one who knew the law more than anyone else, and insulted and dismissed experienced and elderly lawyers as legal ignoramuses. To make the simple point that he would not be tried by the recused Judge, Binta Nyako, he embarked on prolonged legal histrionics that kept the court enthralled for many minutes. During his eruptions, he hesitated between insulting the trial judge and respecting her. He, however, reserved the full length of his tongue for the prosecutors whom he chastised as morons.
Unused to being interrupted when he was in full flight, as his own lawyers were chitchatting beside him, he poked a finger at the chest of one of his counsels, almost as if prodding some sense out of him, and slapped another in the back, reproving him for talking when the imperial Mr Kanu was gyrating in legalese. There is nothing to suggest that Mr Kanu is not deploying extensive melodrama to prolong his trial until everyone gets tired of the whole thing and in exasperation release him like they let go the equally dramatic Omoyele Sowore after they tired of his antics. It may work, but the credit and honour will not go to the government if they don’t release him before then.
Mr Kanu is not as dangerous as the charges against him suggest. He is full of too much bombast. If allowed to give full rein to his displays, the booboisie he claims to lead will sooner or later get tired of his buffooneries. If the government is wise, they should prise tough pledges from the political and traditional leaders of the Southeast and release the IPOB leader into their care. Mr Kanu will find that ‘freedom’ more restricting and suffocating than the comical trial he is undergoing. If the public didn’t see through his court drama, if indeed he was serious about his cathartic eruptions, Nigerians would be worried about his tragic and dysfunctional personality. Alas, for the IPOB leader, the whole gay drama aligns with his pecuniary interest and farcical cause.
