The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has reassigned the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to another judge. This decision comes months after the previous judge handling the case recused themselves.
Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, shared the development in a statement on Saturday. He revealed that the legal team received official confirmation regarding the reassignment before their routine visit to Kanu.
“Yesterday, before the legal team conducted our routine visitation to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we received two separate official letters regarding his case. The letters are momentous and somewhat pyrrhic,” Ejimakor stated.
One of the letters came from the Chief Justice of Nigeria, responding to an earlier request by Kanu’s legal team. The letter addressed their plea for administrative intervention to ensure a lawful reassignment of the case. The second letter was from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, confirming that the case had been officially transferred to a different judge.
Following this update, Kanu instructed his legal team to express his appreciation to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for her prompt response. He also extended gratitude to the public for their support in calling for a fair reassignment of his case.
Ejimakor noted that Kanu has always been prepared to face trial, as he believes in his innocence. However, he stated that delays in the legal process over the past six months posed risks to Kanu’s constitutional rights, particularly his right to a fair and speedy trial.
The lawyer explained that the legal team had to take additional steps to push for a proper reassignment of the case.
