The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice John Tsoho, has reassigned the terrorism case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to a new judge. The development was confirmed by Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja.
The case had initially been presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, but Kanu had requested her recusal from the case due to concerns over impartiality. In response to this request, Justice Nyako had recused herself and returned the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment. However, the file was subsequently reassigned back to Justice Nyako, which Kanu’s legal team strongly opposed.
In an attempt to resolve the matter, Kanu’s legal team wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on February 20, seeking her intervention in ensuring that the case was reassigned to a different judge in accordance with the law. The legal team expressed concerns over the fairness of the trial if the case remained under Justice Nyako’s jurisdiction.
On March 7, the legal team received two separate letters related to Kanu’s case. One letter was from the Chief Justice of Nigeria, while the other came from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. Ejimakor described the letters as “momentous” and significant in the ongoing legal proceedings.
“The letters are momentous and somewhat pyrrhic,” Ejimakor stated in his official statement. “One letter was from the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, responding to a recent letter we had written to her, seeking her prompt administrative intervention on the matter of a proper and lawful reassignment of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case, following the recusal of the judge that was conducting it.”
The other letter, according to Ejimakor, was from Justice John Tsoho, confirming that Kanu’s case had indeed been reassigned to another judge. This decision marks a significant shift in the legal handling of Kanu’s case, which has been fraught with controversy and legal challenges.
Upon receiving the letters, Kanu instructed his legal team to express gratitude to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for her timely intervention. Ejimakor stated, “He [Kanu] also expressed his profound appreciation to members of the general public who publicly supported our righteous demands that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case be reassigned to another judge, as the law demands.”
Kanu’s legal team reiterated that he is ready to face trial, as he remains firm in his belief in his innocence. However, Ejimakor emphasized the challenges faced by Kanu in the past months, particularly regarding the delays and the perceived threat to his constitutional rights, including his right to a fair and speedy trial. “The perverse events of the past six months posed significant dangers to his constitutional rights, particularly his right to a fair and speedy hearing,” Ejimakor explained.
