NJC Denies CJN Ordered Nnamdi Kanu’s Release
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has dismissed reports claiming that the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, ordered the immediate release and repatriation of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, back to Kenya.
In a statement released on Thursday, the NJC described the report as false and misleading, emphasizing that the CJN had no involvement in Kanu’s case.
“The Council wishes to state that the media report is false and a figment of the writer’s imagination, as there are no court proceedings, decisions, or judgments where such statements were made by His Lordship,” the NJC clarified in the statement signed by its Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Ogedengbe.
The NJC further stressed that the CJN neither presided over any of Kanu’s cases at the Supreme Court nor made any pronouncements concerning his release. It also denied claims that Justice Kekere-Ekun wrote a formal letter to the Kenyan government or High Commission apologizing for Kanu’s arrest and trial.
Meanwhile, Kanu is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, where he will take a fresh plea before a new judge, Justice James Omotosho. The case was reassigned after Justice Binta Nyako recused herself, following allegations of bias from the IPOB leader.
Kanu’s legal counsel, Alloy Ejimakor, had earlier commended the CJN for intervening in the reassignment of the case, despite the initial reluctance of Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho.
Kanu was first arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015, upon his return from the United Kingdom. He was granted bail on April 25, 2017, but fled the country after a military operation at his home in Afara Ukwu Ibeku, Abia State.
He was later re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021, and extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria on June 27, 2021. Since then, he has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The Federal High Court had previously struck out eight out of the 15-count charges against him in April 2022, while the Court of Appeal ordered his immediate release in October 2022, dismissing the charges. However, the Federal Government appealed the ruling, leading to a Supreme Court verdict on December 15, 2023, which upheld the government’s right to prosecute Kanu on the remaining seven-count charge.
With the legal battle ongoing, Kanu’s upcoming court appearance is expected to set the course for the next phase of his trial.