The Supreme Court of Nigeria has scheduled December 15, 2023, as the date for delivering judgment on the appeal seeking the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), from detention. This decision comes after the Court of Appeal in Abuja ordered Kanu’s release on October 13, 2022, and quashed the 15-count terrorism charge against him. The Federal Government, dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s judgment, appealed to the Supreme Court.
During the proceedings, the parties involved in the case adopted their final briefs. Kanu’s counsel, Mike Ozehkome, SAN, urged the Supreme Court to order his client’s immediate release and impose a significant punitive cost on the Federal Government. Ozehkome argued that Kanu had been held unconstitutionally since June 29, 2021, despite the lower court’s order for his release.
On the other hand, the Federal Government’s lawyer, Gazzali, SAN, requested that the Supreme Court set aside the Court of Appeal’s judgment and order the resumption of Kanu’s trial on terrorism-related charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Supreme Court’s judgment will have significant implications for the ongoing legal proceedings involving Nnamdi Kanu.