By Okafor Joseph

Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on Monday, launched a scathing attack against Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, accusing her of bias and insisting that she had been legally recused from his case.

During his court appearance, Kanu vehemently opposed the judge’s continued involvement in his trial, citing a prior court order that allegedly barred her from presiding over his matter. He denounced the insistence on her handling of his case as “shameful” and an affront to the rule of law.

“You have been recused,” Kanu declared. “You cannot preside over this case number again, not in this life, not now, not tomorrow, not ever. You cannot.”

“A Shrine to Injustice”

The embattled IPOB leader accused the judiciary of manipulating the law against him, stating that the court was no longer a place of justice but rather a “shrine to injustice.”

“You cannot be hobnobbing with lawyers, hobnobbing with justices, and you are presiding over a case,” Kanu fumed. “It is shameful, absolutely shameful!”

He called out the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for allegedly forcing Justice Nyako to handle his trial despite the recusal order, comparing the situation to previous cases where judges had been removed without controversy.

“Tell the Chief Judge, Nnamdi Kanu said, go on appeal!” he declared. “The state recused Justice Adema from my case, and they did not insist that he must hear my case. Why must you insist on hearing my case?”

Accusations Against the Prosecution

Kanu also turned his fury on the prosecution counsel, accusing him of prioritizing financial gain over justice.

“You are a grown-up man,” he lashed out. “Because of N300 million, you are behaving like a child. Go on appeal! Because of the money they are paying you from the AGF’s office, you are here standing and holding evil.”

He further challenged the prosecution to uphold legal principles rather than political interests, stating, “The rule of law says you should go on appeal. Justice Binta Nyako can’t try my case, not on this planet Earth. I’m telling you that now, so stop wasting your time.”

A Legal Battle of Legitimacy

Citing the National Judicial Policy of Nigeria, Kanu insisted that a judge must act independently and not be influenced by external forces, including the Chief Judge.

“The rule of law in every common law jurisdiction in the world is that once an order of the court is entered, the only way to set it aside is by going on appeal,” he argued. “Is a memo from the Chief Judge sufficient to set aside a court order? Why do you want to change the law in my case?”

Kanu’s courtroom outburst underscores the deepening legal and political complexities surrounding his trial. As tensions escalate, all eyes remain on the judiciary’s next move in the unfolding drama.