Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has declared that he will never submit to a trial before any judge or court lacking constitutional jurisdiction.
In an open letter dated February 14, 2025, and made available to newsmen by his lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu reaffirmed his stance, emphasizing that he would rather remain in detention indefinitely than face a court that does not meet constitutional standards.
He stated, “On September 24, 2024, I decided that I have had enough of taking my chances at getting justice from a judge that, in June 2021, sent me to secret police detention without fair hearing, later refused to transfer me to prison to better prepare for my trial, and capped it all by refusing to restore my bail. Instead, she ordered an accelerated trial in the face of the reality that I will never get a fair trial whilst detained at the DSS.”
Kanu further explained that his request for the judge’s recusal was granted, and she removed herself from his case.
However, despite this decision, he accused the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of colluding with the federal government by reassigning the case to the same judge.
“But instead of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court doing the lawful thing by assigning my case to another judge, he connived with the federal government to eat crow and send my case to a judge that stands recused by a valid order,” he alleged.
He clarified that his stance should not be taken as an indictment of all Nigerian judges, acknowledging that some can still deliver fair rulings.
“Instead, the issue is that my case is deliberately being shielded from judges and justices that are deemed to be committed to doing justice even when it means that the federal government must lose.”
Kanu detailed previous court rulings in his favor, including a March 1, 2017, judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ruled that IPOB was not an unlawful group.
He noted that the federal government never appealed this decision, describing it as an early sign of judicial manipulation.
He also cited an October 26, 2022, judgment declaring his extraordinary rendition from Kenya unconstitutional.
The court ruled that his treatment by Nigerian authorities, including physical and mental trauma, violated his fundamental rights.
“This judgment is sufficient to have ended my lengthy detention and encouraged the federal government to constructively engage me on the issue of the self-determination agitation that triggered this whole saga.”
Concluding his letter, Kanu reiterated his firm position: “Be that as it may, if it will take the rest of my life in detention to produce me before a proper and impartial court, so be it. But let me say this for the world to know: I will not succumb to any trial conducted by any judge or court whose jurisdiction does not pass constitutional muster. Not now, not ever.”
