Embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has insisted that his case should be taken away from Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja and transferred to the South-East.
Kanu, according to his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor in a statement on Wednesday, ordered his legal team to ensure that Justice Nyako stays off his case following her recusal after recent attempts to return the case to her.
Kanu had, on September 24, 2024, asked Justice Nyako to hands off his trial on grounds of lack of confidence, an appeal that led the judge to publicly step down from the case and transfer his case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho.
In the statement issued on Wednesday night, Ejimakor said Kanu gave the instructions during the legal team’s visit to him at the DSS detention facility in Abuja earlier in the day.
According to the counsel, Kanu mandated the team to do everything possible to get his case transferred to the South-East if no judge in Abuja is willing to take up his trial.
“The routine visitation to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu continues unabated, as the legal team just concluded a crucial visitation today,” Ejimakor said.
“The central issue arising at today’s visitation is the upcoming court date for the continuation of MNK’s case.
“Due to its constitutional implications, Onyendu instructed the legal team to take certain prompt steps to ensure that his case is not handled by the same Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako who had withdrawn from the case by virtue of the order of recusal entered on 24th September 2024.
“The point was stressed that should the case still lie with Justice Murtala-Nyako, it would mean that the same court is disobeying an order that it made.
“We are therefore looking forward to going to court as long as another Judge of the Federal High Court is assigned to the case.
“If no other judge in Abuja is willing to handle the case, the Chief Judge is free to transfer the case to Umuahia, Awka, Enugu, Asaba, Port Harcourt or any other Federal High Court within the former Eastern Nigeria where the offenses were alleged to have happened or allegedly had impact,” he stated.