The family of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has explained why he demanded that Justice Binta Nyako, who presided over his case, recuse herself.
According to his family, as reported by Vanguard, Kanu’s request stems from Justice Nyako’s refusal to comply with the Supreme Court’s orders regarding his case. They stated that the apex court had criticized Nyako’s decision to revoke Kanu’s bail and questioned why she did not reinstate it after the Supreme Court’s ruling.
In response to Justice Nyako’s eventual decision to step down, the family accused her of bias against Kanu. Prince Emmanuel Kanu, speaking on behalf of the family, described the judge’s recusal as a positive step, expressing hope that the next judge assigned to the case would follow the Supreme Court’s earlier judgment.
“The reason Nnamdi Kanu requested the presiding judge to step down was because she refused to comply with the orders of the Supreme Court. As far as we are concerned, she was not willing or prepared to comply with any of the apex court’s directives. We also lost confidence in her because she was biased against our son,” Prince Emmanuel Kanu said.
The family reiterated that Kanu should not be on trial in Nigeria, citing his extraordinary rendition from Kenya as a violation of international law. They emphasized that Kanu was abducted in Kenya and unlawfully extradited to Nigeria, which, they argue, voids the federal government’s right to prosecute him.
