The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out the appeal filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ruling that it lacked merit and had become academic following his recent conviction for terrorism.
A three-member panel held that Kanu’s claims of violations of his fundamental rights—including human dignity, access to healthcare, and freedom of religion—were no longer sustainable after his conviction, life sentence, and transfer to prison custody.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Boloukuromo Ugo noted that Kanu’s counsel, Maxwell Opara, confirmed his client was being held in Sokoto prison. The court therefore could not order his relocation to Kuje prison, as originally sought when he was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Justice Ugo added that since Kanu had previously expressed a preference for prison custody, his request had effectively been met once he was convicted and remanded.
The appeal stemmed from a July 3 ruling by retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which dismissed Kanu’s fundamental rights enforcement suit for lack of proof.
The appellate decision comes just a week after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Kanu of terrorism and sentenced him to life imprisonment, bringing to a close a decade-long trial that has fueled tensions across the South-East.
