FCT, Abuja – The Federal High Court has denied the claim that the newly assigned judge in the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the embattled leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has stepped down.
In a statement signed by Sulaiman Hassan, the chief registrar of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, the court explained that the report was “false and misleading”.
The Punch reported that there has been a report going round on social media, that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, was the new judge presiding over Nnamdi Kanu’s case, and has withdrawn because of the illegality of Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest.
Federal High Court speaks on Nnamdi Kanu
However, a statement from the chief registrar explained that the report was grossly mischievous, entirely unfounded, damaging in intent, fictitious and urged the public to disregard it in its entirety.
The management of the court expressed concerns about the report and unequivocally refutes the claim, saying it was false and misleading. It noted that the allegation that Honourable Chief Judge, Hon. Justice John T. Tsoho, OFR, has stepped down and has stepped aside in Nnadi Kanu’s trial.
It further explained that the chief judge has not stepped down and that the chief judge never made any statement concerning the legality of his arrest.
Hassan explained that the truth of the matter was that Justice Tsoho, in his capacity as Chief Judge, has reassigned Nnamdi Kanu’s suit from Justice Binta Nyako to another (‘new’) Judge.
What High Court said on Nnamdi Kanu
He then noted that the report was spurious and urged the defence team to prepare to receive directives regarding the case as such would be issued by the new judge.
The statement reads in part:
“The Federal High Court strongly cautions against deliberate misinformation to mislead the public and erode confidence in the judicial system. We urge the general public to be wary and rely only on verified information from official court sources.”
The court then expressed its commitment to steadfastness and in upholding justice using the law as its only tool. However, it was learnt that the case between Nnamdi Kanu and the Federal Government has been reassigned to Justice James Omotosho. This came after Justice Nyako reduced herself,
DSS did not announce that Kanu escaped
Legit.ng earlier reported that the claims that Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed IPOB, has escaped from the DSS custody have been fact-checked and found to be false.
Several Facebook posts made the claim but Africa Check, a fact-checking organisation, confirmed that the report was fake and was without any credible evidence.
Nnamdi Kanu had been in DSS custody since 2019 after he was re-arrested in Kenya; he had earlier jumped bail in Nigeria in 2017.
