The detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has dragged the federal government to an Abia State high court, contesting issues of his human rights violation.
Respondents in the matter include the federal government, the Nigeria Army, the Department of State Service (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Kanu in his eight appeals, seeking for enforcement of his fundamental rights, wants the court to among other things halts his trial currently in motion at the federal high court in Abuja.
His special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor disclosed that he, on Tuesday, secured an order from the High Court of Abia State to serve by substituted means an Application for enforcement of the Fundamental Rights of Kanu, which he recently brought before the High Court of Abia State.
Ejimakor said that the material issue is the unbroken chain of infringements that began with the 2017 extrajudicial attempt on Kanu’s life in Abia State; his involuntary flight to safety/exile; his abduction in Kenya and his extraordinary rendition to Nigeria.
“We believe that these supervening issues have complicated Kanu’s prosecution and thus must be judicially dispensed with before any further prosecutorial action can proceed,” Ejimakor stated.
Among other grievances, Kanu is also seeking a declaration that his arrest in Kenya by the Respondents or their agents without due process of law is arbitrary, illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and amounts to infringement of his fundamental right against arbitrary arrest, to his personal liberty and to fair hearing as enshrined and guaranteed under the pertinent provisions of CFRN and the Charter.
“An order of injunction restraining the Respondents or their agents from taking any further step in the prosecution of the Applicant in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 (Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Nnamdi Kanu) pursuant to said unlawful expulsion of the Applicant from Kenya to Nigeria.
“An order mandating and compelling the Respondents or their agents to forthwith release the Applicant from detention and restitute or otherwise restore Applicant to his liberty, same being his state of being as of 19th June 2021; and to thereupon repatriate the Applicant to his country of domicile (to wit: Britain) to await the outcome of any formal request the Respondents may file before the competent authorities in Britain for the lawful extradition of the Applicant to Nigeria to continue his prosecution in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 (the Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Nnamdi Kanu).
“An order mandating and compelling the Respondents to pay the sum of N5000,000,000.00 (Five Billion Naira) to the Applicant, being monetary damages claimed by the Applicant against the Respondents jointly and severally for the physical, mental, emotional, psychological and other damages suffered by the Applicant as a result of the infringements of Applicant’s fundamental rights.”
