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 development was announced in a statement issued by Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, on Saturday.
The reassignment follows Kanu’s request for the recusal of Justice Binta Nyako, the judge originally presiding over the seven-count terrorism charge brought against him by the Federal Government. While Justice Nyako initially recused herself and transferred the case file back to the Chief Judge for reassignment, the file was later reassigned to her again—a decision that Kanu’s legal team strongly opposed.
In response, Kanu’s legal team wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on February 20, seeking her intervention. On March 7, the team received two letters: one from the Chief Justice of Nigeria and another from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
Ejimakor’s statement explained, “Yesterday, before conducting our routine visitation to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we received two separate official letters regarding his case. One was from the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, addressing our recent request for prompt administrative intervention regarding the lawful reassignment of Kanu’s case. The other letter was from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, confirming that the case has been reassigned to another judge.”
Upon receiving the letters, Kanu instructed his legal team to express his sincere gratitude to the Chief Justice for her timely administrative intervention and to thank the public for their support in calling for the case to be reassigned in accordance with the law.
Ejimakor continued, “Kanu has always been ready to stand trial, confident in his innocence. However, the events of the past six months—following the recusal of the original judge in September 2024—raised serious concerns about his constitutional rights, particularly his right to a fair and timely trial. It was in light of these concerns that we pursued extraordinary measures to ensure his case was properly reassigned. Now that the authorities have taken the necessary steps to uphold the law, Kanu and his legal team will focus on preparing a strong defense.”
Kanu’s legal team is now turning its attention to the upcoming stages of his trial, hopeful that the reassignment of the case will ensure a fairer and more transparent legal process.
