“Kanu Defies Court: IPOB Leader Ejected as Tension Boils in Abuja”
By Passman Akpos
Abuja, Nigeria – Tension erupted at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday as Trial Justice James Omotosho ordered security agents to remove the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, from the courtroom. The dramatic intervention followed Kanu’s repeated insistence that judgement could not be delivered in the terrorism case filed against him by the Federal Government.
The courtroom descended into chaos after Kanu vociferously demanded that the trial judge explain where the law barred him from filing a written address in his defence. Security operatives were compelled to intervene, temporarily halting proceedings to physically remove him from the court.
Justice Omotosho had just delivered a ruling dismissing fresh motions filed by Kanu, which the court said raised issues that had already been addressed in the proceedings. Among the dismissed motions was Kanu’s request for the case to be referred to the Court of Appeal. The judge emphasized that Section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, forbids the stay of proceedings in criminal matters.
The court also rejected Kanu’s plea for bail, noting that certain issues he raised in his motions would be considered during the judgement process.
As the judge prepared to read out the judgement, Kanu adamantly refused to sit down, shouting that the court lacked jurisdiction to proceed without formally admitting his written address, prompting the unprecedented courtroom standoff.
Observers described the incident as a tense and unprecedented moment in Nigeria’s legal history, highlighting the ongoing high-stakes nature of the IPOB leader’s trial.
