By Ayomide Otitoju
The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, appeared before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday for the resumed hearing of his trial.
The proceedings had previously stalled after Justice Nyako recused herself from the case on September 24, 2024, following an oral application by Kanu, who expressed a lack of confidence in her handling of the trial. However, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, later reassigned the case to Nyako, stating that any request for her recusal must be formally filed through a motion on notice.
Legal Dispute Over Judge’s Recusal
In response to the reassignment, the prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, in a letter dated December 5, 2024, requested the court to fix a date for the trial to proceed. Opposing the move, Kanu’s defence lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, argued in a December 9, 2024 letter that Nyako’s recusal remained valid. Ejimakor further requested 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—a request that was not granted.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, February 10, 2025, Justice Nyako clarified that the Chief Judge had not accepted her recusal and had instead referred the case back to her. She advised Kanu’s defence team to submit a formal written application if they still wished to pursue the request for her withdrawal.
Prosecution Pushes for Trial
Meanwhile, the prosecution, led by Awomolo, expressed readiness to proceed, stating that witnesses were available for the trial to commence.
Kanu, who has been in custody since his extradition to Nigeria in June 2021, faces charges of treasonable felony, among other allegations brought by the Nigerian government. The trial continues amid legal and political debates over his detention and prosecution.
