Nnamdi Kanu Demands Trial Transfer to Southeast, Rejects Justice Nyako’s Role
The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has called for his case to be moved to the Southeast if no judge in Abuja is willing to handle it apart from Justice Binta Nyako.
This was disclosed on Wednesday in a statement by his lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, following a routine meeting with Kanu at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja.
Justice Nyako had earlier recused herself from Kanu’s trial on September 24, 2024, after Kanu expressed a lack of confidence in her handling of the case. However, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, later reassigned the case to Justice Nyako for continuation.
Kanu has consistently objected to Justice Nyako’s involvement, stating that her return to the case after stepping aside compromises judicial integrity.
In the statement, Ejimakor quoted Kanu’s instructions to his legal team:
“The central issue arising at today’s visitation is the upcoming court date for the continuation of MNK’s case.
“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to take certain prompt steps to ensure that his case is not handled by the same Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, who had withdrawn from the case by virtue of the order of recusal entered on 24th September 2024.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.”
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Kanu’s legal team also emphasized the need for a new judge to preside over the case. They suggested that if no judge in Abuja is willing to take it up, the trial should be transferred to the Southeast.
“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 alleged offenses were said to have occurred or had their impact,” the statement added.
This latest development has drawn attention to Kanu’s ongoing legal battle, with many closely monitoring how the judiciary will respond to his demands.
Reacting to the statement, some social media users suggested that the reason he is requesting the case to be transferred to the Southeast is to give IPOB members influence over the proceedings.
One of the comments read:
Paul Ogoloma: “He wants the case to be transferred to the Southeast so that IPOB members can hijack the court process in the Southeast and threaten judges whenever they like. At the moment, he knows that his IPOB members cannot hijack the process in Abuja, which is why he is seeking a transfer to the Southeast.”
Others have accused prominent Igbo figures of being the main reason why Nnamdi Kanu remains in detention.
Jibrin Abdullahi Jiab:
“The Federal Government is not the reason why this man hasn’t been released. He has not been released up till now because top/influential Igbos refused to come together and agitate for his freedom, and that’s because the youths in Igboland respect this man more than them.”
