The Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed the hearing of a lawsuit filed by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, against the Federal Government to April 22, 2024. In the suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/462/2022), Kanu accuses the Nigerian government of illegally abducting him from Kenya and bringing him back to Nigeria to face trial.
Kanu seeks several reliefs from the court, including his release from the custody of the Department of State and a demand for N50 billion in damages. The lawsuit challenges the legality of his trial for offenses stated in a 15-count amended charge in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, citing Section 15 of the Extradition Act and various human rights provisions.
The suit references the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, specifically Article 12 (4) and Article/Part 5 (a) of the African Charter’s principles and guidelines on human and peoples’ rights in the context of countering terrorism in Africa.
The Federal Government and the Attorney General of the Federation, in a preliminary objection, have labeled Kanu’s suit as an abuse of court process and urged its dismissal. They pointed out that Kanu had previously filed a similar suit in a Federal High Court in Umuahia.
At the latest court proceedings, Aloy Ejimakor informed the court of his assumption of the case from Mike Ozekhome (SAN). Justice Inyang Ekwo, the trial judge, instructed Ejimakor to verify whether a similar matter was pending before another court or if a judgment had already been delivered on a similar case.
Justice Ekwo also ordered that a hearing notice be issued and served on the defendants, who were absent during Monday’s proceedings.