Supreme Court To Decide Nnamdi Kanu’s Fate Tomorrow

The Supreme Court is set to announce its judgment on the appeal that seeks to compel the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on December 15.

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, heading a five-member panel, had scheduled the date in October after the final briefs of argument from both the federal government and the detained IPOB leaders’ legal teams were adopted.

Nnamdi Kanu’s legal team led by Kanu Agabi presented the appeal, while Mike Ozehkome urged the court not only to order Kanu’s immediate release but also to impose substantial punitive costs against the Federal Government.

In contrast, Tijani Gazzali, representing the Federal Government, requested the apex court to uphold the amended brief of argument filed on May 3, 2023.

He urged the court to allow the government’s appeal, set aside the Court of Appeal’s judgment that ordered Kanu’s release, and resume his trial on terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Gazzali also called for the dismissal of Kanu’s cross-appeal.

On October 13, 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja had ordered Kanu’s release, citing his alleged abduction, ill-treatment, and “illegal movement” from Kenya to Nigeria to face treason and terrorism charges.

Despite the dismissal of the criminal case, Nigerian prosecutors appealed the decision, and Kanu, in his mid-50s, remains in custody.

Kanu, a former London estate agent who operates the banned Radio Biafra station, was initially arrested in 2015, jumped bail two years later, and reappeared in the UK and Israel.

The Nigerian government has designated IPOB as a terrorist organization, accusing it of exacerbating ethnic tensions by asserting genocide against Igbos.