Judge Withdraws From Nnamdi Kanu's Felony Trial

Ahmed Mohammed, a judge of the federal high court in Abuja, has withdrawn from the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, director of Radio Biafra and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Mohammed announced the decision at the court on Wednesday after Kanu objected to the case, expressing doubt that he would get justice.

Kanu, who spoke from the dock, accused the federal government of refusing to comply with court rulings. He said he preferred to remain in detention than to subject himself to a trial where he is not likely to get justice.


Responding, the judge held that Kanu had the right to express his feelings since “justice is rooted on confidence”.

“I hereby remit the case file to the honourable chief judge of this court to reassign it,” Mohammed said.

The Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Kanu in October shortly after he arrived the country from his base in the United Kingdom.

He was accused of criminal conspiracy, ownership of an unlawful society and attempting to split Nigeria. Kanu was held in DSS custody for months before the secret police arraigned him in court.

Last Wednesday, Shuaibu Usman of the chief magistrate court, Wuse zone 2, Abuja, discharged Kanu, on all the charges brought against him by the federal government through its agent, the DSS.

A day after, Adeniyi Ademola, a justice of the federal high court, Abuja, ordered the DSS to release Kanu “immediately”, saying his continued detention was unlawful.

Ademola said Kanu was yet to be charged on suspicion of terrorism, probably because the secret police lacked the required material to prosecute him. But a day after the ruling, Vincent Obetta, Kanu’s counsel, told TheCable that his client was still in detention because he had not perfected the bail condition granted to Kanu.

“There is nothing that will hold him back, except the government wants to be funny again. Before 1pm, we will finish the paper work, and then we will go to the SSS,” he had said.

However, the DSS filed fresh charges of felony against Kanu, alongside two others, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi. They were accused of managing the affairs of an unlawful society.

In recent times, the continued detention of Kanu has led to a wave of protests, engineered by IPOB, across the country, particularly in the south-east. The group is demanding an immediate and unconditional release of its leader.