The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has called for his case to be reassigned to a new judge or transferred to a Federal High Court in the South-East, citing a lack of confidence in the continued involvement of Justice Binta Nyako.
This demand comes after Nyako recused herself from the trial in September 2024, but Kanu’s legal team argues that her reappointment undermines judicial integrity.
Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, communicated the IPOB leader’s position in a statement following a meeting with his legal team at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja on Wednesday. Ejimakor emphasized that Kanu had instructed his team to take necessary legal steps to prevent Justice Nyako from presiding over his trial.
“The key issue discussed today was the ongoing case,” Ejimakor explained. “Nnamdi Kanu has made it clear that his case should not be handled by Justice Binta Nyako, who had recused herself from the trial. The reappointment of Justice Nyako, in defiance of the previous recusal order, raises serious concerns about judicial fairness.”
In the statement, Kanu’s legal team argued that continuing with Justice Nyako would violate the principle of judicial propriety and could undermine public confidence in the legal system. They also suggested that if no other judge in Abuja is willing to take over the case, the matter should be transferred to a Federal High Court in the South-East, where the alleged offenses occurred or had their impact.
Ejimakor pointed out that such a transfer would ensure that the trial takes place in a location more closely tied to the case’s context, and he listed several cities, including Umuahia, Awka, Enugu, Asaba, and Port Harcourt, as potential venues.
This development is part of a broader ongoing legal battle for Kanu, who has been in detention since his re-arrest in 2021. His case continues to attract significant attention, with calls for his release and concerns about the fairness of the trial at the heart of his legal team’s actions.
The next step in the case remains uncertain, but Kanu’s legal team is determined to ensure that the trial is conducted under conditions that respect the principles of justice and fairness.
