The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has declared that he is prepared to remain in detention indefinitely unless his case is handled by a fair and impartial judge.
Kanu, currently on trial for terrorism-related charges before Justice Binta Nyako at the Federal High Court in Abuja, has accused the Nigerian government of deliberately preventing independent judges from presiding over his case to ensure he does not receive a fair trial.
He has been in detention since 2021 after being forcibly brought back from Kenya.
Despite the Court of Appeal ruling in 2022 that acquitted him of all charges, the federal government has continued to hold him in custody.
In an open letter, Kanu detailed what he described as a pattern of judicial and executive misconduct in his case.
He cited a 2017 ruling that recognized IPOB as a lawful organization and a 2022 judgment that declared his detention illegal, both of which he claims were ignored by the government.
Following a recent court session, Kanu openly criticized Justice Nyako, alleging that her continued involvement in his case was linked to corruption charges against her husband and son.
According to him, the government is using these cases to manipulate her rulings in his trial.
“They told her that if she convicts me, they will free her husband and son,” Kanu claimed.
His trial has now been indefinitely adjourned. In his letter, he reiterated that unless an unbiased court takes up his case, he will not participate in what he sees as a predetermined legal process.
“If I must spend the rest of my life in detention for my case to be heard by a fair court, so be it,” Kanu stated, maintaining that he would not accept any trial conducted by a judge whose jurisdiction he considers illegitimate.
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