Appeal Court Dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s Rights Violation Suit, Says Case Now ‘Academic’ After His Terrorism Conviction
Appeal Court Dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s Rights Violation Suit, Says Case Now ‘Academic’ After His Terrorism Conviction
The Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) were named as respondents in the case.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday struck out a fundamental rights appeal filed by the jailed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, declaring the case “academic” following his recent conviction and life sentence.
The Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) were named as respondents in the case.
However, a three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the matter, ruling that it had become an academic exercise since Kanu had already been convicted and sentenced by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kanu, who was convicted of terrorism on November 20, is serving his sentence at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
In the lead judgment, Justice Boloukuromo Ugo held that Kanu’s lawyer, Maxwell Opara, confirmed during the proceedings that his client was being held at Sokoto Prison. As a result, the court could no longer order his transfer to Kuje Prison, as had been requested from DSS custody.
Justice Ugo noted that Kanu himself had previously insisted on being remanded in a conventional prison instead of DSS custody, adding that his current location in a correctional facility already aligned with his stated preference.
With that, the court struck out the appeal for lacking merit, effectively shutting down yet another legal pathway Kanu had attempted to use to challenge what he described as the government’s violation of his rights.
This latest ruling comes barely a week after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court convicted Kanu on a seven-count terrorism charge, ruling that federal prosecutors had proved their case beyond reasonable doubt.
The IPOB leader was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.
Kanu had earlier approached the Federal High Court to seek enforcement of his fundamental rights, accusing security agencies of illegal arrest, extraordinary rendition, torture, and prolonged detention without adequate access to his lawyers.
But Justice Taiwo Taiwo dismissed the suit on July 3, prompting the appeal now thrown out by the appellate court.
