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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 65768, member: 636"]
Nigerian separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu dismissed his legal team and will defend himself at trial. The 58-year-old began his defense on Thursday by challenging the court's authority to hear his case, but the judge denied this argument. Kanu leads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra group and faces terrorism and incitement charges. The organization seeks independence for the Biafran territories in southeastern Nigeria.

One day earlier, Kanu named several prominent Nigerians as potential witnesses, among them former Attorney General Abubakar Malami. He offered no explanation for removing his lawyers, who have not addressed the matter publicly. Kanu holds British citizenship and maintains that authorities violated a court order by keeping him detained after an appeals court dismissed charges in 2022. The Supreme Court later reinstated those charges.

Police used tear gas on Monday to break up demonstrations in Abuja, where supporters demanded his release. Kanu maintains strong support across southeastern Nigeria despite government opposition. Authorities labeled his group a terrorist organization in 2017, and its military branch faces accusations of violent attacks.

Police arrested Kanu in October 2015 on terrorism charges, but he fled Nigeria in 2017 after soldiers raided his residence. A court revoked his bail in March 2019 and ordered his capture. The government announced his arrest in 2021, with his attorneys claiming Kenyan involvement in his return to Nigeria.
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