The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed an appeal against the June 19 ruling of Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
This ruling rejected Kanu’s objection to the court’s jurisdiction to subject him to trial.
Kanu’s lead counsel, Alloy Ejimakor, submitted the notice of appeal to the Court of Appeal in Abuja. Ejimakor disclosed this development in a statement on Wednesday.
“Earlier today I filed a Notice of Appeal with the Court of Appeal in Abuja against the 19th June 2024 ruling of Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, refusing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s application objecting to the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to subject him to trial,” Ejimakor stated.
Ejimakor elaborated that the appeal is based on seven grounds, primarily citing the Constitution, the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022, and other relevant statutes. The Federal Government of Nigeria is the sole respondent in the appeal and will be served through its counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN.
The notice of appeal reads: “TAKE NOTICE that the Appellant being dissatisfied with the Ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division coram: B.F.M Nyako, J. delivered on the 19th June, 2024, more particularly set out in Paragraph 2, doth hereby appeal to the Court of Appeal, Abuja upon the grounds set out in Paragraph 3 below and will at the hearing of the Appeal seek the Reliefs set out in Paragraph 4 of this Notice of Appeal.
“Ground one: Error in law: The Learned Trial Judge erred in law and occasioned grave miscarriage of justice against the Appellant when the trial Court held that ‘The main claim in this application deals with the counts of charge the Defendant is facing. These counts of charge that this Court had retained after a considered ruling on the counts of charge dismissing 8 of the original counts. The main issue is that, if the Defendant has a problem with the counts of charge retained, the option open is appeal.'”
Kanu’s legal team seeks to overturn the Federal High Court’s decision, arguing that the trial court erred in its ruling and that Kanu was denied a fair hearing. The appeal aims to halt the trial process and address the issues related to the court’s jurisdiction.