Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stepped down from handling the treason case against Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The case has been ongoing since 2015, but she decided to withdraw on Tuesday after a disagreement in court.
Beyond Boders recalls that the federal government accused Kanu of making threats across Nigeria and encouraging people in the southeast to follow a “sit-at-home” order. The government said his actions caused many businesses, schools, and markets in the region to shut down. Kanu, however, denied the charges.
During the court hearing, the government’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, wanted the trial to begin, but Kanu’s lawyer, Alloy Ejimakor, asked for a delay because there were two appeals that still needed to be addressed.
Awomolo argued that the trial should not be stopped because of the appeals, and the defense should file a request to pause the case in a higher court.
Justice Nyako said the case should not be delayed any longer and ordered that no applications would be reviewed until the trial ends.
Kanu’s lawyer insisted that he was not prepared for the trial because he had not been allowed to meet Kanu properly.
At that point, Kanu stood up in court, asked his lawyer to sit down, and said that his rights were being violated. He demanded that the judge step down from the case, claiming the Supreme Court had ruled in his favour. “I will not subject myself to this court,” Kanu declared.
Awomolo disagreed, saying Kanu’s claims did not match the Supreme Court’s decision. Justice Nyako said there was nothing in the Supreme Court’s ruling that supported Kanu’s statement, and she was surprised by his behaviour in court. She then announced that she would no longer handle the case and would send it to the Chief Judge for further action.
Awomolo expressed his disappointment with the situation, calling it an unfortunate day. Justice Nyako had previously rejected Kanu’s requests for release on bail and ruled that the DSS facility where he is being held is safe.
This development means that the federal government’s case against Nnamdi Kanu, which began in 2015, will now start over with a new judge.
