KEY POINTS
- Nnamdi Kanu’s family said that theirkinsman demanded this on the grounds that Justice Nyako had not obeyed Supreme Court directives.
- The family thus complains of bias by the judge and hopes to get a fair trial under a different judge.
- Kanu’s family has said his abduction from Kenya was unlawful thus negating the government’s ability to prosecute him.
The family of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has explained why Kanu demanded that Justice Binta Nyako recuse herself from the case. As reported by the family, Kanu was asking this due to Justice Nyako’s outright disregard for Supreme Court orders on bails that applied to the rebel.
The Nigerian apex court had, before now, set aside Nyako’s decision to revoke Kanu’s bail, but the family now accuses the judge of refusing to reinstate the bail after the court’s ruling. This, they said, made Kanu ask her to withdraw for bias from handling the case as she had already labelled him as a fugitive. Prince Emmanuel Kanu for the family in a statement supporting Justice Nyako decision to recuse herself termed it as a step in the right direction.
Accusations of bias
The family urged citizens to lose confidence in the presiding judge with a tone of the bias she demonstrated against Kanu. Usually they expect the next judge who is assigned to the case will honor the decisions made by the Supreme Court of the land.
“The reason Nnamdi Kanu asked the Presiding Judge to recuse herself is because the woman does not respect the Supreme Court decisions,” declared Prince Emmanuel Kanu.
According to Vanguard, Kanu’s family also mentioned that their son should not be standing trial in Nigeria because of his extraordinary rendition, and this they said went against Nigerian and international laws. This without having expressed once again their earlier position on the fact that the abduction of Kanu from Kenya and forced pushing him back to Nigeria violates legal procedures, thus erasing Nigerian government’s right to prosecute him.
Among them legal issues and extraordinary rendition, the family has contended that Kanu’s rendition was unlawful, which the administration carried out against known legal procedures and the international law. Some have pointed out legal technicalities which they say the Nigerian government used to arrest him, deport him from Kenya without following extradition laws.
The case remains relevant to this date, and all members of Kanu’s legal team and supporters are demanding his release and a fair trial in Kyiv.
