The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice John Tsoho, has reassigned the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to a new judge. This was revealed by Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor. Previously, Kanu had requested that Justice Binta Nyako recuse herself from overseeing the seven-count terrorism charge filed against him by the Federal Government.
After Justice Nyako stepped down, she transferred the case back to the Chief Judge for reassignment. However, the case file was later returned to her, a decision that Kanu strongly opposed. On February 20, Kanu’s legal team wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, urging her to intervene and ensure a proper reassignment of the case.
In a statement released on March 7, Ejimakor confirmed that the legal team had received two official letters regarding the case. One letter came from the Chief Justice of Nigeria, responding to the legal team’s request for administrative intervention. The other came from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, confirming that the case had been reassigned to a new judge.
Ejimakor expressed gratitude to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for her prompt response and appreciated public support for Kanu’s call for a lawful reassignment of the case. Kanu, who maintains his innocence, has always been ready to face trial but emphasized that the past six months of legal challenges threatened his constitutional right to a fair and timely hearing.
With the reassignment now in motion, Kanu and his legal team are focused on preparing a robust defense.