Justice Binta Nyako, a judge at the federal high court, has stepped away from the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). During the resumed court session on Tuesday, Kanu directly expressed to Nyako that he no longer trusted her judgment in his case.
Kanu is facing charges of treason and terrorism stemming from his push for southeastern Nigerias independence. Since 2021, he has been held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). He requested Nyako's recusal citing her disregard for orders from the Supreme Court.
While the prosecution urged the court to continue with the trial Nyako chose to withdraw from the proceedings. She announced, "I hereby recuse myself and return the case file to the chief judge for reassignment and further necessary actions."
Nyako decided to withdraw from the case after Kanu interrupted the proceedings by telling his lawyer to sit down and showing his distrust in the court.
The judge was taken aback by Kanu's conduct remarking that she couldn't continue with a trial if the defendant didn't have faith in her. The case documents will now be forwarded to the chief judge for reassignment to a different judge.
Kanu's attorney Alloy Ejimakor had earlier indicated exploring strategies outside the courtroom to secure Kanu's release referencing situations where the government had dismissed charges in similar cases.
Comments
Post a Comment