Extradition: Court fixes Oct 27 for judgment in Kanu’s suit against FG

A federal high court in Umuahia, Abia state, has fixed October 27 for judgment in a fundamental human rights suit filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), against the federal government.

In the suit filed through his counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu is challenging his extradition from Kenya by the “agents of the federal government”.

Kanu alleged that he was kidnapped from Kenya and brought back to Nigeria to stand trial.

Evelyn Anyadike, the presiding judge, fixed the date for judgment after lawyers in the suit adopted their final written addresses at the court session on Tuesday.

Simon Enoch, counsel from the federal ministry of justice, in adopting his written addresses, prayed the court to dismiss the suit on the grounds that it is an abuse of court process.

He said an Abia state high court had already determined a similar case and that Kanu had violated his bail conditions prior to his re-arrest in Kenya.

However, Ejimakor submitted that in contrast to the current lawsuit, the case resolved by the Abia high court, which was decided in Kanu’s favour, focused primarily on the 2017 military raid on Kanu’s home.

He argued that the federal government should be required to show the legal document or authority that served as the foundation for the “abduction or extraordinary rendition of Kanu”.

“My client remains an unlawfully expelled individual, and cannot be subjected to any trial because he was unlawfully renditioned,” the lawyer said.

He also said the United Nations commission on human rights had already directed the Nigerian authorities to unconditionally release Kanu, and compensate him for the violation of fundamental human rights.

The lawyer also told the court that Kanu’s health condition was deteriorating and he urgently needed the attention of his personal physician.

Among several reliefs sought, Kanu is asking for “an order mandating and compelling the respondents to pay the sum of N25,000,000,000.00 (Twenty-Five Billion Naira) to the applicant, being monetary damages claimed by the applicant against the respondents jointly and severally for the physical, mental, emotional, psychological, property and other damages suffered by the applicant as a result of the infringements of applicant’s fundamental rights by the respondents”.

An order is also sought to halt Kanu’s prosecution and restore him to the status quo before his rendition on June 19, 2021.