Supreme Court Grants FG’s Move To File Nine Fresh Grounds Against Kanu

The Supreme Court on Thursday, granted the Federal Government’s request to add nine more reasons to its appeal against the thorny figurehead of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Tijani Gadzali, SAN, the lawyer representing the Federal Government, filed the application that led to the decision.

READ ALSO: Presidential Polls: Bad Tactical Moves, Over Confidence Cost Opposition Victory – Buhari

Gadzali also requested a postponement in order to reply to Kanu’s request to be moved from the Department of State Services’ holding facility to the Kuje Correctional Center.

The five-man panel led by Justice John Okoro of the Supreme Court okayed the Federal Government’s appeal and also granted leave to the Federal Government to include the additional nine grounds as part of its amended notice of appeal dated October 28 2022.

Kanu’s lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, informed the court of a several applications his client had filed, one of which asked the court to transfer his client from the Department of State Services facility to Kuje jail.

Ozekhome asserted that Kanu was gravely ill and needed expert medical care, which he thought his patient could get at the Kuje jail.

The Supreme Court was also alerted by Ozekhome, SAN, and Ifeanyi Ejiofor to a request for their client’s release on bail while the appeal process is still ongoing.

He, thereafter, applied for an accelerated hearing of all the pending applications as well as the substantive appeal.

As a result, the Supreme Court postponed the case’s final hearing until May 11.

Kanu’s release from custody has been mandated by the Court of Appeal in Abuja in a decision rendered unanimously on October 13, 2022.

A 15-count terrorism charge against the detained IPOB leader was dismissed by the three-judge panel of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The panel also stated that the Federal Government flagrantly broke all known laws when it forcibly returned Kanu from Kenya to the country for the continuation of his trial.

Dissatisfied with the judgement, the Federal Government approached the appellate court to stay the execution of the judgement, pending the determination of its appeal at the Supreme Court.

The Appellate court granted the Federal Government’s application to stay the execution of its earlier judgement.

Kanu thereafter appealed to the Supreme Court to set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal and to place a bar to any further detention and prosecution.

In his request, he asked the top court to reject FG’s appeal against his release.

He specifically requested an order from the supreme court “striking out and/or dismissing the Respondent’s Appeal No: SC/CR/1361/2022, for want of diligent prosecution.”