He said the court had already made its position clear to the authorities responsible for the detention and that further discussions would be held to ensure that the restriction was rescinded.
The President of the General Court-Martial sitting in Abuja to try 36 Nigerian military personnel accused of plotting to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu, Air Vice Marshal, H.I. Alhaji has admitted that the current detention facility where the personnel are being held is “not ideal”, while acknowledging concerns over restricted access to their lawyers and family members.
AVM Alhaji made the admission during proceedings of the General Court-Martial, where he addressed concerns raised over access to the detained military personnel, the conditions of their detention and complaints from both the defence and prosecution sides regarding the conduct of the proceedings.
The court-martial president said the detaining authority had raised concerns relating to access to the accused persons, but stressed that the restriction could not be allowed to continue indefinitely because it could interfere with the fundamental right to fair hearing and access to justice.
He said the court had already made its position clear to the authorities responsible for the detention and that further discussions would be held to ensure that the restriction was rescinded.
