Justice John Tsoho, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, has reassigned the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, to a different judge.
This development was announced by Kanu’s lead attorney, Aloy Ejimakor. Kanu had previously requested that Justice Binta Nyako recuse herself from handling the seven-count terrorism charge filed against him by the Federal Government.
Although Justice Nyako initially stepped down and returned the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment, the file was later sent back to her, a move that Kanu opposed.
On February 20, Kanu’s legal team wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, requesting her intervention to facilitate the reassignment of the case.
In a statement issued today, Ejimakor revealed that on Friday, March 7, the legal team received two official letters regarding Kanu’s case—one from the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the other from the Chief Judge.
“Yesterday, prior to our routine visit to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we received two significant official letters regarding his case. The letters are both momentous and somewhat bittersweet,” Ejimakor stated.
One letter was from the Chief Justice of Nigeria, addressing their recent request for administrative intervention in the proper reassignment of Kanu’s case following the recusal of the original judge. The other letter came from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, confirming that the case has been reassigned to a new judge.
Upon receipt of these letters, Ejimakor noted that Kanu instructed his legal team to publicly express their “sincere gratitude to the CJN for her sound administrative discretion and the promptness with which she responded to our request.”
He also expressed deep appreciation for the public support received in their call for Kanu’s case to be reassigned, as required by law.
Ejimakor emphasized that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has always been prepared to stand trial, firmly believing in his innocence. However, he noted that the troubling developments over the past six months—since the recusal in September 2024—posed significant risks to Kanu’s constitutional rights, particularly his right to a fair and speedy hearing. Consequently, they took extraordinary measures to ensure the case was properly reassigned.
With the authorities taking initial steps to uphold the law, Kanu and his legal team will now reevaluate and diligently prepare for his defense,” Ejimakor concluded.
