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Nnamdi Kanu to appear before a new judge on March 21.
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The IPOB Leader will face fresh charge counts as older counts have been dismissed.
Nnamdi Kanu, the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is set to appear before the court under a new judge on March 21, 2025, as his trial commences anew.
The IPOB leader who has spent over 4 years in DSS detention since his extradition from Kenya had been under custody without a conclusive judgement
Daily Report Nigeria gathered that the news Judge set to preside over his case is Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja.
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This development follows a series of court proceedings marked by allegations of bias and obstruction of Justice.
Recall that the Supreme Court, in a December 15, 2023 judgment, mandated that Kanu stand trial for the remaining seven counts of treason charges levelled against him.
This decision overruled a prior Court of Appeal verdict that had acquitted Nnamdi Kanu.
The Supreme Court which is the top decision-making court in Nigeria stated that despite concerns regarding his extradition from Kenya, the Federal High Court retained jurisdiction over his trial. Since then, the Biafran Leader has been in and out of court.
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However, in September 2024, after some observations of seeming perversion of justice, Kanu requested that Justice Binta Nyako recuse herself from his case, to which she agreed.
However, the Chief Judge rejected her recusal, and Justice Nyako eventually presided over Kanu’s case in February.
When the IPOB leader got to court and saw Nyako still sitting as the judge over his case, he refused to be tried before her; alleging that since Justice Nyako had already recused herself from his case, she shouldn’t preside over his trial.
Nnamdi Kanu who was captured on videos online stated that the Chief Judge has no right to bring back a Judge who had earlier recused herself from a case contained in the Nigerian law.
The Biafran Movement leader insisted on his rights and affirmed that he wouldn’t be judges before the court of lies as there had been an underground plan to pin charges he didn’t commit to him. Then, the case was adjourned indefinitely.
Therefore, following the news of a new judge who would preside over his case as it should be, Nnamdi Kanu will appear before the court on March 21.
Kanu’s legal team, led by Aloy Ejimakor, has hinted that Nnamdi Kanu will be tried on fresh counts. He expressed readiness for the upcoming proceedings but however noted that they have yet to receive the specific charges to be addressed on March 21. Ejimakor highlighted a worrisome pattern where charges are served shortly before hearings, limiting preparation time.
He said,
“It’s now official that Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu shall appear before a new Judge on 21st March 2025. It’s a milestone, and we are primed & ready.
“He will appear before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in court 7.
“The case will start new as it has never held before. Everything that was done from 2015 when he was arrested to the last time that he appeared before Justice Binta Nyako, including the appeals that are pending, has gone out of the window.
He would be arraigned on charges that we have not seen, we can mention that we received a hearing notice but no charges have been sent to us.
“We really know the charges we are facing on March 24. The government has a trick they always do, they will serve you a day before the hearing so that you don’t have time to study the charges.
“Sometimes they serve you will you are in court but the charges would have been in the court registry and we can’t start asking the court to give us a copy.”
As the trial date approaches, the legal community and the public keenly await the proceedings, which are set to begin afresh under Justice Omotosho’s oversight.
