The Supreme Court is scheduled to announce its verdict on the appeal that seeks to compel the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), from detention on December 15.
On October 13, 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja issued a judgment ordering Kanu’s release. The appellate court, comprising a three-member panel, also invalidated the 15-count terrorism charges brought by the Federal Government against the detained IPOB leader in the Federal High Court in Abuja.
However, dissatisfied with this judgment, the Federal Government escalated the matter to the Supreme Court.
During the proceedings on Thursday, a five-member panel at the apex court, led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, scheduled the judgment date after all parties in the case presented their final briefs.
Mike Ozehkome, SAN, representing Kanu, urged the court to immediately release his client from detention and impose a substantial punitive cost on the Federal Government. He argued, “We request the court to uphold our cross-appeal and deliver substantial justice in this case, ensuring that the respondent, who has been in detention since June 29, 2021, despite the lower court’s order for his release, is never prosecuted again on the same charges. He is being held unconstitutionally, and we implore the court to deliver justice, emphasizing that no individual or government should be exempt from the law, just as in the case of Ojukwu vs. State.”
On the other hand, Gazzali, SAN, representing the Federal Government, called on the Supreme Court to overturn the Court of Appeal’s judgment ordering Kanu’s release. He also requested that the court instruct the resumption of Kanu’s trial on terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
