The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a fresh suit against the Federal Government, seeking the permanent termination of his ongoing trial. Kanu argued that the trial should not continue, noting that he had previously been discharged by the Court of Appeal a move he described as a “flagrant violation of the rule of law.”
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, was filed through Kanu’s family and highlighted four alleged defects in the continuation of his trial: contempt of appellate authority, failure to take judicial notice of legislative repeal, denial of fair hearing, and reliance on a forged medical report. The suit contends that each defect is independently fatal and that cumulatively they render the entire trial incompetent and void.
“By the Doctrine of Appellate Finality, the appellate order that discharged me terminated the trial absolutely,” Kanu submitted. He added that until set aside by the Supreme Court after 14 months, the order remained binding and enforceable.
The IPOB leader further alleged denial of fair hearing under Section 36(6)(b)&(c) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 7(1)(c) of the African Charter, citing his prolonged solitary detention and restricted consultation with counsel prior to entering his defence in the capital case.
Kanu also challenged the court’s reliance on a medical report he described as forged. According to the suit, the report, dated September 23, 2025, predated the order directing the Nigerian Medical Association to examine him on September 26, 2025. He insisted that no such examination occurred, adding that the use of the document vitiates the ruling on his fitness to stand trial.
Citing legal precedents, Kanu argued that any absence of conditions precedent to jurisdiction renders proceedings null, and urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the trial void and permanently terminate it in adherence to the rule of law.
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