The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday discharged and acquitted the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, of allegations of terrorism and treasonable felony.
A three-member panel of justices led by Justice Jummai Hanatu on Thursday struck out the seven-count charges preferred against him by the federal government.
The panel held that the trial court had no jurisdiction to entertain the case following Kanu’s rendition from Kenya.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, one of his lawyers, who confirmed this on his Facebook page on Thursday, wrote: “Appeal allowed, Oyendu Mazi Nnamdi KANU, discharged and acquitted. We have won!.”
Kanu, who was first arraigned on December 23, 2015 and later granted bail on April 25, 2017, had in his appeal dated April 29 and marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, applied to be discharged and acquitted.
However, the Court of Appeal on Thursday declared as illegal and unlawful, the abduction Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria and quashed the entire terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
The Appellate Court held that the Federal Government breached all local and international laws in the forceful rendition of Kanu to Nigeria thereby making the terrorism charges against him incompetent and unlawful.
The Appeal Court in a judgment by Justice Oludotun Adebola voided and set aside the charges by the Federal Government against Kanu.
The Appellate Court proceeded to discharge Kanu from the alleged offences.
Justice Adebola held that failure of Nigeria to follow due process by way of Extradition was fatal to the charges against Kanu.
The Appeal Court further held that the failure of the Federal Government to disclose where and when the alleged offences were committed was also fatal to the terrorism charges and made them liable to dismissal.