The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a fresh suit against the Federal Government seeking an immediate termination of his ongoing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021, argued in his new legal action that the continued prosecution violates existing appellate court rulings and fundamental principles of fair hearing.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, Kanu asked the court to declare that the continuation of his trial is unlawful and unconstitutional. According to him, the prosecution’s case suffers from what he described as “four incurable defects” — contempt of appellate authority, failure to take judicial notice of a repeal, denial of fair hearing, and reliance on forged documents. He maintained that these defects “strike at the very root of the court’s jurisdiction,” making the proceedings null and void.
Kanu’s legal team contended that the October 2022 ruling of the Court of Appeal, which discharged him of all terrorism-related charges, remains binding on all lower courts. “Under the doctrine of appellate finality, the discharge order terminated the trial absolutely,” the IPOB leader stated. He further emphasized that any continued proceedings after such a ruling amount to “a contemptuous disregard of appellate authority.”
On the issue of fair hearing, Kanu lamented that despite being held in solitary confinement for four years, he was only granted a three-hour meeting with his lawyers on the eve of his defence in a capital offence trial. He described the situation as “judicial perversity,” noting that such limited consultation violated his constitutional right to adequate defence. “No reasonable court should uphold a proceeding conducted under such oppressive and unconstitutional conditions,” he added.
Kanu also accused the Federal Government of relying on a forged medical report to justify his fitness to stand trial. He claimed the alleged medical document was dated September 23, 2025, even though the order directing his medical examination was issued on September 26, 2025. “No such examination ever took place, and any ruling based on that forged report is automatically vitiated,” Kanu said in the motion. He insisted that the use of such falsified evidence renders all subsequent rulings invalid and constitutes a grave abuse of judicial process.
The IPOB leader therefore urged the court to terminate the entire proceedings and declare his continued detention and trial illegal. He appealed for strict adherence to the rule of law and called on the judiciary to resist political interference. “This is not just about my personal liberty,” Kanu said, “but about preserving the sanctity of the Nigerian judicial system.”