Court Fixes March 21 For Nnamdi Kanu’s Trial As Case Begins Anew

Our correspondent gathered on Wednesday that the trial date was set after the case file was officially transferred to Justice Omotosho.

Kanu, who was extradited from Kenya in June 2021, is expected to take his plea as the case begins afresh (de novo).

The development follows a decision by the Chief Judge (CJ) of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to reassign the case from Justice Binta Nyako to Justice Omotosho. The reassignment, conveyed in a letter dated March 4 and addressed to Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, came after Kanu and his legal team requested a new judge, citing alleged bias.

Justice Nyako had initially recused herself from the case on September 24, 2024, stating she could not continue the trial if the defendant lacked confidence in the court. However, the Chief Judge later returned the case to Justice Nyako, insisting that Kanu’s legal team must file a formal application before her withdrawal could be officially recognized.

Kanu and his lawyer, Ejimakor, maintained on February 10 that Justice Nyako no longer had jurisdiction over the case after her withdrawal, leading the judge to adjourn the matter indefinitely (sine die).

Notably, Kanu’s trial has previously been handled by multiple judges, including Justice Ahmed Mohammed (now elevated to the Court of Appeal) and Justice Tsoho (before he became Chief Judge), before it was assigned to Justice Nyako following Kanu’s rejection of the previous judges.