Nnamdi Kanu Seeks Extension to Appeal 2021 Detention Ruling

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed a motion at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, requesting an extension of time to challenge the Federal High Court’s 2021 decision that ordered his detention.

Kanu’s legal representative, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, announced the development on Thursday. Kanu, who was apprehended in Kenya in June 2021, was secretly presented before the court on June 29, 2021. Ejimakor emphasized that the hearing was held in secrecy, without informing Kanu’s legal counsel, which he argued violated constitutional rights.

In the motion, Kanu’s legal team, led by Ejimakor, is requesting the Appeal Court to grant an extension to file an appeal regarding the criminal proceedings and the remand order made by Justice Binta Nyako on June 29, 2021, in Case No. FHC/ABJ/CR/383/201. The application notes that the deadline for filing the appeal has already passed.

The motion outlines that Kanu’s legal team seeks to appeal the decision on the grounds that he was denied a fair hearing during the proceedings. The proceedings on June 29, 2021, that led to Kanu’s detention occurred without him being given an opportunity to present his case. Furthermore, the motion argues that Kanu was committed to the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) rather than a prison facility, contrary to the legal provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which mandates that a defendant be given the opportunity to be heard before being remanded.

Kanu’s legal team is requesting that the Appeal Court annul the remand order and release Kanu on bail under the same conditions as before or with adjusted terms. Alternatively, they seek an order to transfer Kanu from SSS custody to a prison facility.