Nnamdi Kanu’s Terrorism Trial Reassigned To New Judge

The ongoing terrorism trial against Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been reassigned to a new judge following months of pressure.

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, John Tsoho, ordered the reassignment after Kanu raised concerns about the previous judge, Justice Binta Nyako, accusing her of bias.

During a court hearing on September 24, 2024, Nnamdi Kanu formally requested that Nyako step down from the case.

Kanu’s special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

The statement read “Yesterday, before the legal team conducted our routine visitation to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we received two separate official letters regarding his case. The letters are momentous and somewhat pyrrhic.

“One letter was from the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, responding to a recent letter we had written to her, seeking her prompt administrative intervention (as the administrative head of Nigerian judiciary) on the matter of a proper and lawful reassignment of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case, following the recusal of the Judge that was conducting it.

“The other letter was from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, informing us that the case has been reassigned to another Judge of the Federal High Court.”

Following this decision, Kanu expressed gratitude to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for handling the matter promptly and thanked the public for supporting his request for a fair trial.

The legal team emphasized that Kanu has always been prepared to defend himself, believing in his innocence.

However, they argued that delays and setbacks since September 2024 had threatened his right to a fair and speedy trial.

The statement continued “To be sure, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has always been ready to take his trial because he is firmly convinced of his innocence.

“But the perverse events of the past six months (from September 2024, when the recusal happened) posed portent dangers to his constitutional rights, particularly his right to fair and speedy hearing.

“It was in view of these untoward developments that we were propelled to resort to taking extraordinary measures to ensure that his case is properly reassigned and conducted in accordance with the law.

“So, now that the first steps have been taken by the authorities to do the lawful thing, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his legal team shall take stock and hanker down to the zealous preparation of his defence.”

KanyiDaily recalls that in February, Nnamdi Kanu appeared in court, questioning the jurisdiction of Justice Binta Nyako over his ongoing trial.