Nnamdi Kanu, who identifies as the leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been taken back into the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) after his terrorism trial was indefinitely postponed.
On Monday, Justice Binta Fatima Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja announced an indefinite adjournment of the case.
The decision came after Kanu insisted that the judge could not oversee his trial, citing her previous decision to step aside from the matter.
On September 24, 2024, Justice Binta Nyako withdrew from Nnamdi Kanu’s case following a verbal request made by the defendant.
“I hereby recuse myself and remit the case file to the chief judge,” the judge had said.
During the proceedings, Nnamdi Kanu, speaking on his own behalf instead of his lawyers, directly informed the judge that he no longer trusted her to handle his trial fairly.
However, after reviewing the situation, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, ruled that Justice Binta Nyako should continue presiding over the case. He stated that Kanu’s request for her withdrawal needed to be formally submitted through a motion on notice before it could be considered.
