The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, has reopened the trial of Mister Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
In 2021, the Federal Government brought a revised 15-count terrorism and treasonable felony accusation against Mister Kanu.
After his extradition from Kenya, he was charged in July 2021.
After making a decision about the first objection that Mr. Kanu’s attorney had submitted contesting the validity of the charges, trial judge Justice Murtala-Nyako had dismissed eight of the fifteen counts.
Since his preliminary objection called for the complete accusation to be dismissed outright, Mister Kanu had contested the trial court’s decision to uphold seven of the fifteen charges.
Due to the Federal Government’s extraordinary rendition of Mister Kanu to Nigeria, the court of appeals dropped the allegations against him.
The Court of Appeal’s decision was reversed by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruled that the charges and the trial could not be declared void due to the Federal Government’s conduct.
The defendant was mandated to go back to the Federal High Court, where the court had initially halted proceedings, to finish his trial.