The Federal High Court in Abuja was thrown into chaos on Thursday after Justice James Omotosho ordered security operatives to remove the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, from the courtroom.
The incident occurred after Kanu insisted that judgment could not proceed in the terrorism case filed against him by the Federal Government.
Kanu repeatedly shouted at the judge, demanding to know where it was written in the law that he was not entitled to file a written address in the case. His persistent interruptions forced the court to halt proceedings temporarily so that security agents could escort him out of the courtroom to restore order.
Before the disruption, Justice Omotosho had delivered a ruling dismissing fresh motions Kanu filed even though the matter was already slated for judgment. The judge stated that the motions simply repeated issues the defendant had previously raised and therefore could not stop the case from proceeding.
The court also rejected Kanu’s request for the matter to be referred to the Court of Appeal, citing Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which forbids a stay of proceedings in criminal trials. Justice Omotosho maintained that the law requires such cases to continue without delay.
Additionally, the court refused Kanu’s fresh application for bail. The judge noted that some of the concerns raised in Kanu’s motions would be considered in the final judgment but stressed that bail could not be granted at this stage of the trial.
The tension in the courtroom escalated further when Justice Omotosho attempted to begin reading the judgment. Kanu stood his ground, shouting that the court had no jurisdiction without accepting his written address. His continued resistance led the judge to order security operatives to take him out, creating a dramatic end to the session.
