The National Judicial Council (NJC) has refuted reports claiming that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been released and repatriated to Kenya.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja and signed by its Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Ogedengbe, the NJC dismissed the report as a fabrication and a mere product of the writers’ imagination.
The council clarified that despite the report attributing the release to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, there is no court ruling from her to support such a claim. The NJC emphasized that no court proceedings, decisions, or judgments have been made in relation to Kanu’s release, and the Chief Justice has not been involved in any case concerning him.
Currently, Kanu is facing a seven-count terrorism charge brought by the Federal Government. He was first arrested on October 14, 2015, after returning to Nigeria from the United Kingdom. He was granted bail in 2017 on health grounds while being held at the Kuje Correctional Facility but later jumped bail and fled to the UK. In 2021, Kanu was re-arrested in Kenya and extradited back to Nigeria, where he has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services.
Kanu’s trial, which was briefly delayed due to his request for a change in his trial judge, is set to resume on Friday, March 21, before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The NJC’s statement further clarified that the Chief Justice of Nigeria has never presided over any case involving Kanu, nor has she made any pronouncements related to the matter. Additionally, the CJN did not write any formal letter to the Kenyan Government or High Commission regarding Kanu’s arrest or trial.
The council urged the public to disregard the false report.
