Embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has revealed that the recent Supreme Court judgment has created an opportunity for his potential release.
The Herald reports that despite his disappointment with the ruling, Nnamdi Kanu, during a meeting with his legal team at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility in Abuja, conveyed his belief that certain aspects of the decision have unlocked a new legal pathway for pursuing his release.
Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s special counsel, shared the leader’s sentiments, stating, “Onyendu expressed his profound disappointment with the Supreme Court judgment but he believes that aspects of the judgement have opened a new legal window to pursue his release. He asked all and sundry to remain confident.”
The Supreme Court’s judgment, delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim and written by Justice Garba Lawal, rejected an appeal for Kanu’s release from detention. This decision overturned the Appeal Court’s ruling that had previously discharged and acquitted Kanu of all terrorism charges in October 2022.
Notably, the Supreme Court’s stance emphasized that despite the Nigerian government’s alleged wrongful extradition of Kanu from Kenya, the act did not deprive any court of jurisdiction to proceed with the trial.
Justice Lawal underscored that the absence of any citation of Nigerian law in the suit seeking Kanu’s release from Kenya’s alleged unlawful abduction was a critical factor in the ruling.