Court Admits Key Judgment on 2017 Military Raid at Nnamdi Kanu’s Residence
In a significant development, a Federal High Court in Abuja has officially admitted as evidence a crucial judgment by Justice Benson Anya of the Abia State High Court concerning the 2017 military invasion of Nnamdi Kanu’s home. Kanu is the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Justice James Omotosho made the ruling on Wednesday, accepting the judgment along with two other relevant court decisions.
Recall that Justice Anya had earlier declared the September 2017 invasion of Kanu’s residence in Umuahia, Abia State, to be *illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional*. The judge held that the attack infringed upon Kanu’s fundamental rights to life, dignity, and a fair hearing, emphasizing that the military action violated both Nigerian constitutional rights and international human rights standards.
Furthermore, the court ordered the Nigerian government to pay N1 billion to Kanu as compensation for the rights violations.
The recent admission by Justice Omotosho included the original judgment by Justice Anya, as well as certified true copies of judgments from other related cases, including:
– Suit FHC/UM/CS/30/2022 (delivered on October 26, 2022, between Kanu and the Federal Republic of Nigeria)
– Suit E/20/2023 (also between Kanu and the Federal Republic of Nigeria)
These documents were marked as exhibits PWL, PWM, and PWN, respectively, and were tendered into evidence by Kanu’s legal team during cross-examination of the prosecution’s second witness, identified as BBB.
The cross-examination was conducted by senior lawyer Paul Erokoro (SAN).
More details on this developing story will follow…