Nnamdi Kanu Appeals Against Justice Nyako’s Court Jurisdiction Decision
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has appealed a decision made by the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 19. Justice Binta Nyako had rejected Kanu’s challenge to the court’s authority to try him.
Kanu’s Special Counsel, Chief Aloy Ejimakor, filed the appeal notice on Tuesday at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. Ejimakor announced this in a statement released Tuesday night.
In the statement, Ejimakor said he submitted the Notice of Appeal to the Court of Appeal in Abuja against Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako’s June 19, 2024, ruling.
The appeal argues against the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction over Kanu’s trial, citing the Constitution, the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022, and other relevant laws.
The Nigerian Federal Government is the only respondent in the appeal, to be represented by their lawyer, Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN.
Since June 2021, Kanu has been held at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja after being extradited from Kenya.
The notice of appeal states: “The Appellant is dissatisfied with the Federal High Court’s ruling on June 19, 2024, by Justice B.F.M Nyako, and is appealing to the Court of Appeal in Abuja based on the reasons outlined in Paragraph 3. The Appellant seeks the reliefs listed in Paragraph 4.”
It also notes: “The names and addresses of those directly affected by this appeal are listed in Paragraph 5.”
The first ground of appeal argues: “The Trial Judge made a legal error causing significant injustice to the Appellant by ruling that the main issue in the application concerns the charges against the Defendant.
The court dismissed 8 of the original charges but retained others. If the Defendant disagrees with the remaining charges, the appropriate step is to appeal.”
