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I’ll remain in detention for life until impartial judge takes over my case – Nnamdi Kanu
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Saturday said he’s prepared to remain in detention all his life until a proper and impartial judge handles his matter.
Kanu alleged a serial executive and judicial fraud being perpetrated against him since 2021 when he was extraordinarily renditioned.
The IPOB leader claimed that his matter is deliberately being shielded from judges and justices who can deliver impartial judgments that may lead to the Federal Government losing in court.
Kanu is currently facing trial before Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja Federal High Court on terrorism-related charges.
He has been detained since 2021 when he was subjected to extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria.
Since his return to Nigeria, the Appeal Court in Abuja had discharged and acquitted him of all charges against him.
Despite the ruling, the Nigerian government has refused to grant Kanu freedom.
Meanwhile, there has been some back and forth with Justice Nyako over the handling of his matter.
In 2024, Kanu had challenged Nyako to step down from his trial because he lacked confidence in her judgment.
Responding, the judge recused herself, but the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, insisted that she should continue with the matter.
Last week, Justice Nyako adjourned the matter indefinitely.
However, in an open letter he personally signed, Kanu said:
“I have been compelled by the events of the past few days to take the unusual step of writing this Open Letter for the singular purpose of calling the attention of the general public to the serial executive and judicial fraud being perpetrated against me since my extraordinary rendition in 2021. The details are as follows:
“In a judgment entered on 1st March 2017, the Federal High Court Abuja ruled that the ‘IPOB is not an unlawful group.’ At the time, it received widespread publicity which can be verified. This landmark ruling (made by the court before it turned unjust) emanated in a criminal proceeding that required ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt’ and in which the Federal Government and my humble self presented our respective cases. Alas! Instead of the Federal Government to go on appeal as the law mandated (if they are dissatisfied with the judgment), the former Attorney-General (Abubakar Malami) went behind closed doors with a letter signed by late Abba Kyari and got IPOB proscribed/tagged a terrorist group in an ex parte proceeding conducted without notice to me or to the IPOB. This abominable incident was the earliest sign yet that the government and its judiciary have struck an unholy and fraudulent alliance to deny me my rights and thereby imperil the lives and liberty of millions who identify with IPOB.
“On 26th October 2022, a Federal High Court declared my extraordinary rendition and detention as unconstitutional, stating that: ‘the manner of arrest and detention of the Applicant (Mazi Nnamdi Kanu) in Kenya, his continued detention in Abuja, his subjection to physical and mental trauma by the Respondents, the inhuman and degrading treatment meted out to the Applicant amounts to a brazen violation of the Applicant’s fundamental right to dignity of his person and threat to life under Section 34 (1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).’ The Court further ordered the Federal Government to apologize to me and pay me compensation. In a responsible and well-ordered society, run by a responsible government, this judgment is sufficient to have ended my lengthy detention and encouraged the Federal Government to constructively engage me on the issue of the self-determination agitation that triggered this whole saga.
“Pedal back to 13th October 2022 when the Court of Appeal held that: ‘The Courts must never shy away from calling the executive to order when they resort to acts of “executive lawlessness.” The duty of the Courts is to maintain a balance between ensuring that law and order is obeyed and the protection of the individual from oppressive actions by the executive. By the forcible abduction and extraordinary rendition of the Appellant (Mazi Nnamdi Kanu) from Kenya to this country on the 27th day of June 2021, in violation of international and state laws, the lower Court or indeed any Court in this country is divested of jurisdiction to entertain charges against the Appellant.’
“Despite the clarity of this judgment and its comportment with reason, the Federal Government refused to release me from detention while it went behind closed doors and connived with three other justices of the Court of Appeal who fraudulently and swiftly sat on appeal over the judgment and practically destroyed it by issuing what they termed ‘a stay of execution.’ One may then ask: Is it not abominable for a court to stay a judgment the government already disobeyed? In a plethora of cases, the Supreme Court has held that anybody who disobeys a related court order cannot be given any judicial relief until such order is obeyed. This is sound reasoning that applies to everybody but is fraudulently overlooked when it comes to my case.
“Fast forward to 15th December 2023 when the Supreme Court sent back my case to the Federal High Court for trial. For avoidance of doubt, that was not the only decision the Supreme Court made. It also decided that my bail should not have been revoked and it went on to state clearly that the judge exhibited significant and unacceptable bias by revoking my bail. In a sane society, one would expect that when the High Court received my case from the Supreme Court and hankered down for trial, it was also duty-bound to restore my bail in line with the pronouncement of the apex court. But that did not happen. Why? Well, your guess is as good as mine and that is: the Court connived with the Federal Government to continue my detention in violation of Section 287 of the Nigerian Constitution while they plotted to railroad me through an unfair trial that already has a predetermined verdict.
“To conclude this Open Letter, let me make it clear that it should in no way be construed to mean that there are no decent judges in Nigeria that can be trusted to deliver even-handed justice in my case. That is not the issue.
“Instead, the issue is that my case is deliberately being shielded from judges and justices that are deemed to be committed to doing justice even when it means that the Federal Government must lose.
“Be that as it may, if it will take the rest of my life in detention to produce me before a proper and impartial court, so be it. But let me say this for the world to know: I will not succumb to any trial conducted by any judge or court whose jurisdiction does not pass constitutional muster. Not now, not ever.” (Daily Post)
Fiery Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka has predicted glorious level for Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State under the new Vice Chancellor, Professor Daniel Nwachukwu.
Mbaka stated this at the university chambers shortly after blessing the Vice Chancellor, during the handover ceremony from his predecessor, Prof Sunday Elom.
He described Nwachukwu as an achiever reputed for his humility, amiability, amicability, transparent ingenuity and authentic relationship with people.
Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka praying for Professor Daniel Nwachukwu new Vice Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State
He expressed confidence in the university administrator’s leadership capacity which he said will take the school to a very high level.
“This is one of the wonders that have happened in the university because Professor Daniel Nwachukwu is noted for his humility, for his amiability, for his amicability, for his transparent ingenuity, for his manifest spirit of leadership, for his ingenuous acumen of authentic relationship with people.
“He is a lover of the youths. So, him being the Vice Chancellor, I am thanking God that he will take this noble university to another glorious level and be a blessing for the whole Nigeria. And because he is here, he is a God-fearing man and he will equally attract the presence of God for the favour of men.
“By the special grace of God, I am praying this noble institution to be in another higher level whereby the school will be so higher than eagles and navigate through every storm.
“Professor Daniel Nwachukwu is an achiever and I can say an iconic achiever, a super achiever on the seat, not just one who can suggest but an executor.
“I pray that God will use him in the next five years and bring more noble glorious achievements here and the students will be happy and the staff will be happy,” Mbaka said.
Nwachukwu, a Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology in the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC) was appointed the 4th Vice Chancellor of AE-FUNAI by the institution’s governing council on December 20, 2025.
Elected the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UNEC in 2023, Nwachukwu had his first degree at the University of Lagos in Human Physiology in 1995 and later moved to the University of Benin for his master’s degree in 1997 and PhD in 2012.
He has had an illustrious career in the academia spanning over 26 years having joined the services of UNN as a lecturer in July 1999 and rose to the highest academic rank of a professor in 2016.
The distinguished scholar who hails from Okposi in Ohaozara LGA of Ebonyi State was the 201st inaugural lecturer of UNN where he expounded on the potency of zobo drink for the management of high blood pressure. He delivered the lecture at the Enugu Campus of the university on March 7, 2024.
His research interests include Physiology, Flavonoids, Hypertension, Saponins, Hepatotoxicity, Antihypertensive, and Alkaloids. Prof. Nwachukwu has published numerous papers in reputable journals and has supervised several postgraduate students.
Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, says he expects to be arrested “any moment now” by federal authorities.
Speaking in a recent interview with BBC Hausa, el-Rufai said four individuals who worked closely with him during his tenure as governor have already been arrested, adding that he believes he may be the next.
He alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is aggressively pressuring politicians, either to defect to the party or to remain inside it, the battle for 2027 begins to take shape.
“Four people who worked with me in Kaduna have been arrested. So, for me, it’s only a matter of time—they will come for me too,” he said.
The former governor, who governed Kaduna for eight years on the platform of the APC before defecting to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has in recent months sharply increased his criticism of President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party.
His warning comes against the backdrop of intensified political horse-trading and defections across the country as various camps position themselves for the 2027 presidential election.
Five US lawmakers have introduced a bill to the US Congress, seeking to impose sanctions on former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore for alleged violations of religious freedom.
The bill, “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026,” was introduced by Chris Smith, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga.
Details of the bill, which was posted on the US Congress website, claimed that Kwankwaso was one of the individuals contributing to systemic religious “persecution of Christians that has persisted” in Nigeria.
If the proposed legislation, introduced to Congress on Tuesday, becomes law, the Departments of State and Treasury are expected to impose sanctions, including a visa ban and asset freeze, on “individuals or entities responsible for severe religious freedom violations” in Nigeria.
“The Department of State and the Department of the Treasury should impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, on individuals or entities responsible for severe religious freedom violations, or report to Congress the reasons such sanctions have not been imposed, including— Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor; Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore,” part of the bill reads.
Others targeted included those the bill described as “Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria”.
Some of the provisions of the proposed legislation mandate the Secretary of State to determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria qualify as a foreign terrorist organisation.
As of the time of this report, neither Kwankwaso nor the groups have commented on the allegations contained in the proposed legislation.
The move came months after US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over what he described as the persecution of Christians in the West African nation, a development the sponsors of the bill said was justified.
But the Nigerian authorities have denied claims of persecution, saying they respect all religions.
Trump had, late last year, threatened military action in Nigeria if the Federal Government did not address the situation.
On Christmas Day, the US launched strikes in Nigeria targeted at terrorists.
The Nigerian government and Trump later disclosed that the military action was a joint effort between both nations.
“On Christmas Day, in close coordination with the government of Nigeria, we worked with them, but they’ve got to get tougher,” Trump said last week while addressing guests at the National Breakfast in Washington.
“I ordered powerful air strikes to decimate the ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians in that country by the thousands. It’s not even believable,” he said.
“We hit them so hard they still don’t know what the hell happened. And we were going to do it on a different day. I said no, do it on Christmas. So they understand it.”
Following the US president’s threat, Nigeria intensified diplomatic efforts with US authorities, sending a high-powered delegation to the North American powerhouse.
Some US lawmakers also visited Nigeria for a first-hand assessment of the situation. (Channels)
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