BLESSING OMALE, Abuja
The trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been adjourned indefinitely following a heated courtroom session on Monday.
The presiding judge, Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, made the decision after Kanu challenged her jurisdiction, insisting she had recused herself from the case.
In September 2024, Justice Nyako stepped away from Kanu’s case after he filed an oral application expressing a lack of confidence in her handling of the trial.
“I hereby recuse myself and remit the case file back to the chief judge,” she stated at the time.
However, in a surprising twist, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, returned the case to Nyako, arguing that Kanu must formally submit a motion on notice before the case could be reassigned.
The prosecution, led by Adegboyega Awomolo, later requested a date for trial in a letter dated December 5, while Kanu’s legal team, led by Aloy Ejimakor, opposed the move, maintaining that Nyako’s recusal was still in effect.
Ejimakor further suggested that the case be transferred to a Federal High Court in the South-East if no judge in Abuja was willing to preside over it.
During Monday’s session, Awomolo informed the court that the prosecution was ready for trial.
However, Ejimakor insisted that the issue at hand was the judge’s recusal, not the trial itself.
Justice Nyako clarified that while she did not want to preside over the case, the chief judge had refused to accept her recusal and instructed Kanu’s legal team to file a formal motion for reassignment.
As arguments ensued, Kanu interrupted the proceedings, declaring that he wanted to speak for himself.
“I don’t recognize the authority of this court to preside over my case.
“Everything you said here is meaningless to me,” Kanu stated, expressing frustration over the handling of his trial.
He also accused the prosecution of “subverting the law” and claimed that the judicial process was being manipulated against him.
Despite Awomolo’s plea for a definite trial date, Justice Nyako ruled to adjourn the case indefinitely.
“In light of what is happening now in court, I am going to adjourn this case sine die (indefinitely),” she declared.
Kanu, however, rejected the ruling, arguing that the judge lacked jurisdiction to make any decision on the case.
“You have no jurisdiction to adjourn anything. None whatsoever,” he asserted.
With the case now in limbo, the legal battle over jurisdiction continues, leaving uncertainty about when—or if—the trial will resume.
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