Transfer My Case To South-East, Nnamdi Kanu Tells Court

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Thursday, January 23rd, 2025

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has tasked the court to move his case to a federal high court in the south-east if no judge in Abuja is willing to take charge of it.

The African Examiner recalls that oOn September 24, Binta Nyako, a federal high court judge, distanced herself from the case following an oral application by the defendant.

“I hereby recuse myself and remit the case file back to the chief judge,” Nyako had said.

Kanu had directly informed Nyako that he no longer had any confidence in her handling the trial.

However, the chief judge of the federal high court, John Tsoho, returned the file back to Nyako citing that the application of Kanu must be formally brought before the court in a motion on notice.

However, Kanu had maintained that he would no longer stand trial before Nyako.

In a statement on Wednesday, Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to the defendant, stated that he has been directed by Kanu to make sure that Nyako does not continue to preside over the case.

“The central issue arising at today’s visitation is the upcoming court date for the continuation of MNK’s case,” Ejimakor said.

“Due to its constitutional implications, Onyendu instructed the legal team to take certain prompt steps to ensure that his case is not handled by the same justice Binta Murtala-Nyako who had withdrawn from the case by virtue of the order of recusal entered on 24th September 2024.

“The point was stressed that should the case still lie with justice Murtala-Nyako, it would mean that the same court is disobeying an order that it made.

“We are therefore looking forward to going to court as long as another judge of the federal high court is assigned to the case.

“If no other judge in Abuja is willing to handle the case, the chief judge is free to transfer the case to Umuahia, Awka, Enugu, Asaba, Port Harcourt or any other federal high court within the former eastern Nigeria where the offences were alleged to have happened or allegedly had impact.”