…Drags FG to court, demands unconditional release, apology, ₦100bn damages.
At last, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho has reassigned the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to another judge.
Kanu’s lead Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor disclosed this via a statement at the weekend.
Ejimakor disclosed that Kanu was ready to face his trial because he’s convinced of his innocence.
Ejimakor in the statement signed by him, said: “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.
“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 (as the administrative head of Nigerian judiciary) 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 was from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, informing us that the case has been reassigned to another Judge of the Federal High Court.
“Consequent upon these latest developments, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu instructed the legal team to publicly convey his sincere gratitudes to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for her sound administrative discretions and the despatch with which she responded to our request.
“He also expressed his profound appreciation to members of the general public who publicly expressed their support to our righteous demands that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case be reassigned to another Judge, as the law demands.
“To be sure, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has always been ready to take his trial because he is firmly convinced of his innocence. But the perverse events of the past six months (from September 2024, when the recusal happened) posed portent dangers to his constitutional rights, particularly his right to fair and speedy hearing.
“It was in view of these untoward developments that we were propelled to resort to taking extraordinary measures to ensure that his case is properly reassigned and conducted in accordance with the law.
“So, now that the first steps have been taken by the authorities to do the lawful thing, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his legal team shall take stock and hanker down to the zealous preparation of his defense.”
Meanwhile, The detained leader of IPOB, Kanu, has filed two separate lawsuits challenging alleged violations of his constitutional rights, including the right to a fair and speedy trial.
Kanu, through his legal team led by Special Counsel, Barrister Ejimakor, urged the court and Nigerian authorities to uphold constitutional provisions and follow due process in handling his case.
It was gathered that in the first suit, Suit No. CV/875/25, Kanu seeks an unconditional release from detention and the termination of his ongoing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015. His legal team argues that the trial violates Section 36(1) & (4) of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees the right to a fair hearing and trial within a reasonable time.
Kanu is also reportedly demanding a formal apology from the Nigerian government for alleged violations of his fundamental rights.
He is said to be also seeking ₦100 billion in compensation for the physical, mental, and emotional trauma he claims to have suffered due to prolonged detention and legal proceedings.
In the second lawsuit, Kanu reportedly requests for “Transfer of Trial to the South-East
In the second suit, Suit No. M/3224/2025, Kanu seeks a writ of mandamus compelling Nigerian authorities to follow due legal process in his trial. Specifically, he is said to be demanding that the case be transferred to the South-East, arguing that it should have been filed there initially.
According to Kanu’s legal team, these lawsuits stem from alleged repeated constitutional breaches following the reported recusal of Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako on September 24, 2024. They cited concerns including:
failure to reassign the case to another judge,
reversing the recusal decision and reassigning the case to the same judge.
Others are
refusal to consider transferring the case to the South-East, and
delays in trial proceedings, leaving Kanu in detention for nearly four years without resolution.
It was equally reported that his legal team insists that these actions amount to alleged miscarriage of justice and an infringement of Kanu’s legal rights.
In a statement issued last Thursday, Ejimakor emphasized that Kanu “cannot fold his hands while these injustices persist.”
He stated,“In the first suit, Number: CV/875/25, filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, we requested the enforcement of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s constitutional right to fair hearing and to be tried within a reasonable time; and in the alternative, to release him unconditionally.
“In the second suit, Number: M/3224/2025, we are seeking a Mandamus to compel the authorities to follow the law in the conduct of his trial, including the transfer of his case to the South-East where it should have been instituted in the first place.
“These suits were necessitated by several unconstitutional and unlawful actions that have pervaded the handling of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case since the recusal of Honorable Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako on September 24, 2024.
“The refusal to reassign the case to another judge, the backward reassignment of the case to the same judge who recused herself, and the authorities’ failure to bring the case to trial within a ‘reasonable time’ are clear violations of justice.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu cannot fold his hands whilst these injustices persist.
