The Court of Appeal said the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to try him in view of the nature of his arrest and extraordinary rendition to Nigeria in flagrant violation of the OAU convention and protocol on extradition.
By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – The Abuja Court of Appeal sitting has discharged and acquitted the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
The court upheld the appeal of Kanu on Thursday, October 13, 2022.
Breaking the news on his Facebook page, Kanu’s lawyer and human rights activist, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, wrote on Thursday:
“Appeal allowed, Oyendu Mazi Nnamdi KANU, discharged and acquitted. We have won! Victory, victory, victory, victory.”
Kanu had in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, applied to be discharged and acquitted.
He was first arraigned on December 23, 2015 and was later granted bail on April 25, 2017.
However, he jumped bail and was rearrested in Kenya by officials of the Department of State Services in June 2021 and has since remained in detention.
Giving the order of the release of the IPOB leader, a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal said the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to try him in view of the nature of his arrest and extraordinary rendition to Nigeria in flagrant violation of the OAU convention and protocol on extradition.
The court also said the 15-count charge preferred against Kanu did not disclose the place, date, time and nature of the alleged offences before being unlawfully extradited to Nigeria in clear violation of international treaties, adding that government has still refused to disclose the exact location of his arrest.