Security at the Federal High Court in Abuja has been significantly heightened by operatives of the Department of State Services ahead of the anticipated trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), scheduled to begin today.
The trial, which had been put on hold following the Court of Appeal’s acquittal of Kanu in October 2022 and its declaration of his abduction from Kenya to Nigeria as illegal, is set to resume following a Supreme Court ruling on December 15, 2023.
The Supreme Court ordered the continuation of Kanu’s trial on terrorism charges, overturning the appellate court’s decision.
Kanu, who has been in DSS custody since June 2021 after being extradited from Kenya to Nigeria, faces charges brought by the Federal Government. As journalists, litigants, and court staff approach the court premises, they are subjected to thorough searches at a minimum of four checkpoints, beginning on the road leading to the Ministry of Justice.
More details will follow as the trial progresses.
