Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has requested that his ongoing trial be transferred to the South-East if no judge at the Federal High Court in Abuja is willing to preside over the case apart from Justice Binta Nyako.
This request was detailed in a statement issued on Wednesday by his lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, following a routine meeting with Kanu at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja.
Justice Nyako, who was initially handling the trial, recused herself from the case on September 24, 2024, after Kanu expressed a lack of confidence in her ability to oversee the proceedings impartially.
However, the case was later reassigned to her by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho. Kanu has since opposed her continued involvement, describing it as a threat to the integrity of the judiciary.
In his statement, Ejimakor revealed that Kanu has instructed his legal team to take necessary actions to ensure that Justice Nyako does not preside over his trial. He added that the matter would be addressed during the upcoming court session.
“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to take certain prompt steps to ensure that his case is not handled by the same Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, who had withdrawn from the case by virtue of the order of recusal entered on 24th September 2024,” Ejimakor said.
Additionally, Kanu’s legal team has requested that a new judge be assigned to the case and proposed relocating the trial to a Federal High Court in the South-East. The team argued that this region is where the alleged offenses occurred or had significant impact, making it a more appropriate venue.
“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 read.
