The Court of Appeal has refuted media reports that it transferred three justices on the panel that dismissed the charges against Nnamdi Kanu and ordered his release from custody.

A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal comprising Jummai Sankey, Oludotun Adefope-Okojie and Ebiowei Tobi, gave the judgement freeing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on 13 October.

The panel discharged him of charges of terrorism and treasonable felony after declaring the Nigerian government’s forcible extradition of Mr Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021 to face criminal charges as illegal.

It held that the trial, which was ongoing at the Federal High Court in Abuja was in gross violation of local and international laws.

Consequently, the panel struck out the seven-count charge pending before trial judge, Binta Nyako, who had earlier dismissed eight of the amended 15 counts filed against Mr Kanu after he was brought back to Nigeria last year.

Media reports on the recent reshuffling of judges of the Court of Appeal had focused only on the judges that sat on Mr Kanu’s case. The reports gave the impression that the three judges were targeted for transfer.

But, the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Umar Bangari, said in a statement on Tuesday, that posting of judges is a routine, and that only one of the judges who sat on Mr Kanu’s case was affected.

“In fact, 21 out of 81 Justices, including 6 Presiding Justices of the Court, were affected by the postings,” Mr Bangari said.

He added that the essence of the posting was to invigorate the justice delivery system of the Court of Appeal.

“It is therefore incorrect and uncharitable to insinuate that the Hon. Justices who delivered the judgment in the Nnamdi Kanu Appeal were the targets of the routine posting exercise.”

Read Full Statement below:

RE: NNAMDI KANU: 3 JUSTICES ON APPEAL COURT PANEL TRANSFERRED

The attention of the Court of Appeal has been drawn to a publication in the Vanguard Newspaper of Monday 24th October, 2022, as well as its on line version, with the caption “Nnamdi Kanu: 3 Justices on Appeal Court Panel Transferred”, followed by similar publications by other newspapers.

 

The publications in question conveyed the innuendo to the effect that the recent postings of justices of the Court of Appeal were in connection with, or in response to the judgment of the Court of Appeal of 13th October, 2022 in Nnamdi Kanu V. the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

We wish to state categorically that the general postings of the Justices of the Court of Appeal under reference were routine and aimed at reinvigorating the justice delivery system of the Court. In fact, 21 out of 81 Justices, including 6 Presiding Justices of the Court, were affected by the postings.

 

Indeed, of the 3 Justices that sat and determined the said Appeal, only one was affected by the general postings

It is therefore incorrect and uncharitable to insinuate that the Hon. Justices who delivered the judgment in the Nnamdi Kanu Appeal were the targets of the routine posting exercise. A few minutes of inquiry by the Vanguard Newspaper, or the other Media houses that followed up with similar publications, could have clarified this fact; unless of course the publication was intended for other purposes. Details of the recent postings are available in the office of the Chief Registrar of the Court for verification.

 

We also appeal to the Vanguard Newspaper in particular and the media in general to exercise restraint and circumspection in reporting matters pertaining to the Court and its operations. The Court of Appeal has an open door policy of providing easy access to the Media to make inquiries and seek clarifications on any matters of interest to the media for the benefits of the general public. It is therefore unhealthy to rush into publishing unconfirmed information as in this case, please.

 

We urge members of the public to discountenance this misinformation.

 

Umar M. Bangari, Esq.

Chief Registrar.

According to Vanguard, the three appellate court justices were transferred, four days after they delivered the judgement that discharged the embattled IPOB leader.

Whereas the presiding Justice, Jummai Hanatu Sankey, who was hitherto in the Gombe Division of the court, has been moved to Awka Division, Justice Oludotun Adetope-Okojie who delivered the lead judgement, was transferred to Owerri, while the third member of the panel, Justice Ebiowei Tobi, was moved to Gombe.

The memo dated October 17, which was signed by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, stressed that the new posting for the justices was with immediate effect as they were expected to report to their new stations by October 21.