CJN didn’t order Nnamdi Kanu’s release – NJC

The National Judicial Council, NJC, has debunked the report that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, ordered the immediate release and repatriation of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, back to Kenya.

The council, in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday, described the report as the figment of imagination of the writer, stressing that the CJN has nothing to do with Kanu’s case.

“The Council wishes to state that the media report is false and figment of imagination of the writer, as there are no Court proceedings, decision or judgment where such statements ascribed to His Lordship was made.

“The Council categorically emphasizes that the Hon CJN neither preside over any Case of Kanu at the Apex Court, where jurisdiction issue was argued nor makes any such pronouncement.

“His Lordship, the Hon CJN never wrote any formal letter to the Kenya Government or Kenya High Commission apologising on the issue of arrest of Nnamdi Kanu and trial.

“The Council urges members of the public to disregard the fake story,” the statement, which was signed by the NJC’s Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Ogedengbe, read.

Meanwhile, Kanu, who is answering to a seven-count treasonable felony charge the federal government initiated against him, is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.

He is billed to take a fresh plea before a new judge, Justice James Omotosho, who was handed the case file after the previous trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, recused herself following Kanu’s allegation that she was biased.

Counsel to the embattled IPOB leader, Alloy Ejimakor, earlier applauded the CJN for a swift intervention he said led to the reassignment of his client’s case to a new judge, despite initial refusal of the Chief Judge of the High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to do so.

Kanu was first arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015, upon his return to the country from the United Kingdom, UK.

On April 25, 2017, Justice Nyako granted him bail on health grounds after he had spent about 18 months in detention.

Upon the perfection of the bail conditions, he was on April 28, 2017, released from the Kuje prison.

However, midway into the trial, the IPOB leader escaped from the country after soldiers invaded his country home at Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, Abia State, an operation that led to the death of some of his followers.

Kanu was later re-arrested in Kenya on June 19, 2021, and extraordinarily renditioned back to the country by security agents on June 27, 2021.

Following the development, the trial court, on June 29, 2021, remanded him in custody of DSS, where he remained till date.

The trial court had on April 8, 2022, struck out eight out of the initial 15-count charge that FG preferred against the defendant. It held that the discarded allegations lacked substance.

Likewise, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on October 13, 2022, ordered Kanu’s immediate release from detention even as it quashed the charge against him.

However, dissatisfied with the decision, the Federal Government took the matter before the Supreme Court, even as it persuaded the appellate court to suspend the execution of the judgement, pending the determination of its appeal.

While deciding the appeal, the Supreme Court, on December 15, 2023, vacated the judgement of the appellate court and gave the Federal Government the nod to try the IPOB leader on the subsisting seven-count charge.