Judge orders DSS to allow Kanu watch Liverpool matches on TV

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday reportedly ordered the Department of State Service (DSS) to allow detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), watch football matches of his favourite club, English premiership giant Liverpool.

Bizarrely, neither Enyimba Football Club of Aba nor Rangers International, Enugu, both foremost premiership football clubs in Nigeria’s South East, the heartland of IPOB, appealed to Kanu, who said he had been supporting Liverpool from when he was seven years old.

However, according to a BBC report, reproduced by Yahoo!, the change in fortunes for Kanu did not come at his request and resulted from the discovery that Kanu, his lawyer and the judge were all Liverpool fans.

RELIABLESOURCENG.COM reports that Kanu was in court on Wednesday for a hearing on a bail application following his re-arrest in Kenya last year, having jumped bail in Nigeria. He is facing charges on allegations bordering on treason among others.

Even though the bail application was refused but during the discussions about whether he should be granted bail, Justice Nyako complained that Kanu had disobeyed a previous order that he should stop appearing in court wearing his faded clothe from Italian luxury brand Fendi, when he had other options.

READ: No bail for Kanu as court strikes out FG’s amended charge

She may have been referring to a tweet in which Kanu was seen in an Atletico Madrid tracksuit during a visit by Anambra State governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo.

The judge, then joked that she was a Liverpool supporter and asked Kanu’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome if he was also a fan of the football club. The lawyer said: “Yes.”

Mrs Nyako then turned to Kanu in the dock. “What is your team?” she asked.

“My team is Liverpool even from age of seven,” Kanu, standing upright in the dock, responded.

The judge then ordered the DSS representative to allow Kanu watch next week’s Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool and any other match of his favourite football club.

“You must allow the defendant to watch the matches any day they are playing,” she said, adding that she was going to make an order to that effect.

Having already bagged the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, Liverpool are just two matches away from winning the English Premier League title and the European Champions League.

However, Manchester City are currently one point ahead of Liverpool in the English premiership title race and are favourites to retain the trophy.