The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has reassigned the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra to a new judge.
This development was confirmed by Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, in a statement issued on Saturday.
Ejimakor emphasized that Kanu remains prepared to stand trial, maintaining his confidence in his innocence.
According to Ejimakor, the legal team received two significant letters before their routine visit to Kanu.
He explained, One letter was from the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, responding to a recent letter we had written to her, seeking her prompt administrative intervention (as the administrative head of Nigerian judiciary) on the matter of a proper and lawful reassignment of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case, following the recusal of the Judge that was conducting it.
“The other letter was from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, informing us that the case has been reassigned to another Judge of the Federal High Court.”
Following this decision, Kanu extended his gratitude to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for acting swiftly in response to their request. He also appreciated public support for ensuring that his case was reassigned lawfully.
Ejimakor further noted Kanu’s readiness for trial, stating:
“To be sure, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has always been ready to take his trial because he is firmly convinced of his innocence. But the perverse events of the past six months (from September 2024, when the recusal happened) posed portent dangers to his constitutional rights, particularly his right to fair and speedy hearing.
“It was in view of these untoward developments that we were propelled to resort to taking extraordinary measures to ensure that his case is properly reassigned and conducted in accordance with the law.
“So, now that the first steps have been taken by the authorities to do the lawful thing, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his legal team shall take stock and hanker down to the zealous preparation of his defense.”
With this reassignment, Kanu’s legal team is now focused on preparing his defense as they move forward with the trial.
