The Federal High Court has debunked reports that the new trial judge assigned to Nnamdi Kanu’s case has stepped down, calling them “false and misleading”.
In a statement signed by Chief Registrar Sulaiman Hassan, the court described the claims as “entirely unfounded, fictitious, grossly mischievous, and damaging in intent”.
Persecondnews recalls that Justice Binta Nyako of Federal High Court, Abuja, had previously recused herself from the case following Kanu’s objection to her continued handling of his trial.
A social media report had claimed that Justice John Tsoho, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, was assigned to Kanu’s case and subsequently withdrew, allegedly due to the illegality of Kanu’s arrest.
The statement reads: “The attention of Management of the Federal High Court has been drawn, with great concern, to an online reportage as above captioned.
“The court unequivocally refutes the false and misleading report, alleging that the Honourable Chief Judge, Hon. Justice John T. Tsoho, OFR, has stepped down from Nnamdi Kanu’s case and made statements regarding the legality of his arrest.”
According to Hassan, the true position is that Justice Tsoho, in his capacity as Chief Judge, has reassigned Kanu’s case from Justice Binta Nyako to a new judge.
Hassan said: “The report referred to, is, therefore, totally spurious. The defence team should hence prepare to receive instructions regarding the case, as may be issued by the new judge.
“The Federal High Court strongly cautions against deliberate misinformation to mislead the public and erode confidence in the judicial system.
“We urge the general public to be wary and rely only on verified information from official court sources. The court remains steadfast in upholding justice through due process of the law.”
Meanwhile, an unconfirmed report suggests that the case has been reassigned to Justice James Omotosho.
Persecondnews reported on Saturday, March 8, that Mr. Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s lead counsel, said Justice Tsoho reassigned Kanu’s case to a new judge following repeated requests for Justice Nyako to recuse herself from the seven-count terrorism charge.
Prior to the judge’s action, Justice Nyako recused herself from the trial and transferred the case file back to the Chief Judge for reassignment; however, it was surprisingly reassigned back to her.
Kanu, dissatisfied with the development, sought intervention through his legal team, wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on February 20, 2025.
Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been in detention since he was rearrested in Kenya and subjected to extraordinary rendition back to Nigeria on June 27, 2021.
He was allegedly arrested by Kenyan security operatives in collaboration with Nigerian authorities.
He has since been detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja.
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