Nnamdi Kanu’s Lawyers Clarify No-Case Submission Ruling

The legal team of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has clarified that the Federal High Court’s ruling on his no-case submission does not amount to a guilty verdict.

Kanu’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, explained that the decision simply requires the IPOB leader to open his defence in response to the terrorism charges filed against him by the Federal Government.

On Friday, Justice James Omotosho dismissed Kanu’s no-case submission, ruling that the Department of State Services (DSS) had established a prima facie case, thereby compelling the defendant to respond to the allegations.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the ruling, Ejimakor emphasised that the court’s position was procedural and not a declaration of guilt.

“Well, the ruling simply requires Nnamdi Kanu, the defendant, to enter his defence.

It’s not a pronouncement of guilty or not guilty, which is why it’s called a no-case submission. The judgment indicates that there is prima facie evidence that needs to be explained,” he said.

He added that in practical terms, the decision meant Kanu must now mount his own defence before the court.

Ejimakor, however, expressed concern over what he described as the unresolved issue of Kanu’s extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria.

“But there is the other aspect of the ruling that concerned extraordinary rendition. That very one is what compounded us, because the extraordinary rendition of Nnamdi Kanu is so open and notorious,” he said.

The case is expected to proceed with Kanu presenting his defence in the coming weeks.