Kanu’s Legal Team Denounces Return of Case to Recused Judge, Calls it Judicial Aberration
The legal team of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has raised concerns over the decision to return Kanu’s trial to Justice Binta Nyako, despite her prior recusal from the case. In a 31-page press statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, Kanu’s legal team, which includes prominent lawyers such as Aloy Ejimakor, Nnaemeka Ejiofor, and Maxwell Opara, described the re-assignment as a “judicial aberration” and an error in the handling of the case.
Kanu’s legal team emphasized that the case had taken a political turn, accusing the federal government of bias. They pointed out that the IPOB leader’s trial, which has been ongoing for almost nine years, has shifted from a legal proceeding to a political persecution. The lawyers argued that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court’s decision to return the case to the same judge who had recused herself in September 2024 is constitutionally flawed.
Justice Nyako had withdrawn from the case after Kanu raised objections due to a lack of confidence in her handling of the trial. Following this, she had sent the case to the Chief Judge for reassignment. However, the legal team expressed their shock when, despite Kanu’s formal request in December 2024 for the case to be reassigned to a new judge, it was allegedly returned to Nyako.
The statement read in part: “On December 5, 2024, the senior lawyer prosecuting the case for the Federal Government suggested that the case be scheduled before the same judge who had recused herself. It is alarming that the Chief Judge, responsible for assigning cases, has allowed this to happen.”
The legal team also lamented that Kanu’s trial has now become a “trial by ordeal,” further emphasizing that the constitutional rights of the IPOB leader have been violated. They called for a resolution of the case that goes beyond judicial paths, with various domestic and international groups urging for Kanu’s release.
As the case drags on, Kanu’s lawyers insist that the continued trial reflects a broader issue with the country’s legal and political systems, which they argue has undermined his constitutional rights.
