The Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nazi Nnamdi Kanu, has lamented over continuing delay to transfer his case file from the Supreme Court to the Federal High Court.
He stressed that the prolongation of taking his case file to Federal High Court is becoming legally injurious to him as he is currently ill.
Aloy Ejimakor, Esq. the Special Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, revealed Kanu’s concerns on Monday after his Routine visitation to the detained IPOB leader at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters, Abuja.
He said: “During my routine visitation with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu today (8th January 2024) at the DSS in Abuja, our discussion centered mainly on the persisting failure of the Supreme Court to enroll its 15th December 2023 judgment on Kanu’s case and transmission of the case file to the Federal High Court, as was ordered by the court on said 15th December.
“This delay is unusual and thus unacceptable to Mazi Kanu and he strongly condemns it.
“In a case where Kanu has been in detention (for two and half years) and it is in public and judicial knowledge that he is grievously ill, one would expect that it should not take almost one month to certify the judgment and transmit the case file to the Federal High Court. And from what we are hearing, it might as well take over month.”
Ejimakor contrasted the delay of Kanu’s case file with Election Petition cases where judgments are readied and certified in as little as a day or two and made available to parties.
“In particular, given the fact that Kanu’s case cannot go forward without his case file being physically transmitted to the Federal High Court and the judgment thereof certified, any prolongation of taking these steps becomes legally injurious to Kanu, as he continues to be detained without any immediate prospects of trial and exoneration.
“Accordingly, and by this Press Release, we strongly urge the judicial and administrative leadership of the Supreme Court to take prompt steps to transmit Kanu’s file to the Federal High Court and make certified true copies of the judgment available to his Lawyers. This is what the justice of the case demands at this point in time”, he stated.
The full text of the statement reads:
PRESS RELEASE: 8th January, 2024
From: ALOY EJIMAKOR
To: All Media
RE: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu decries strange delay in transmitting his case file from the Supreme Court to the Federal High Court
During my routine visitation with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu today (8th January 2024) at the DSS in Abuja, our discussion centered mainly on the persisting failure of the Supreme Court to enroll its 15th December 2023 judgment on Kanu’s case and transmission of the case file to the Federal High Court, as was ordered by the court on said 15th December.
This delay is unusual and thus unacceptable to Mazi Kanu and he strongly condemns it.
In a case where Kanu has been in detention (for two and half years) and it is in public and judicial knowledge that he is grievously ill, one would expect that it should not take almost one month to certify the judgment and transmit the case file to the Federal High Court. And from what we are hearing, it might as well take over month.
Contrast this with Election Petition cases where judgments are readied and certified in as little as a day or two and made available to parties.
In particular, given the fact that Kanu’s case cannot go forward without his case file being physically transmitted to the Federal High Court and the judgment thereof certified, any prolongation of taking these steps becomes legally injurious to Kanu, as he continues to be detained without any immediate prospects of trial and exoneration.
Accordingly, and by this Press Release, we strongly urge the judicial and administrative leadership of the Supreme Court to take prompt steps to transmit Kanu’s file to the Federal High Court and make certified true copies of the judgment available to his Lawyers. This is what the justice of the case demands at this point in time.
Signed:
Aloy Ejimakor, Esq.
Special Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu
