The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Friday struck out an appeal filed by the convicted leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, challenging alleged fundamental human rights violations by the Federal Government.
A three-member panel of the appellate court threw out the case on the grounds that it had become “an academic exercise,” citing Kanu’s recent conviction and life sentence for terrorism offenses.
In the lead judgment, delivered by Justice Boloukuromo Ugo, the court noted that Kanu had already been transferred and is serving his sentence at the Sokoto Correctional Centre. The judge asserted that in light of this, the appeal’s core prayer—seeking his transfer from the Department of State Services (DSS) custody to Kuje Prison—could no longer be granted.
The court held that Kanu’s current remand in prison custody “satisfied” his previous expressed desire for incarceration outside the DSS facility, rendering the matter “without merit.” The judgment effectively upheld a prior July 3 ruling by a Federal High Court judge that had initially dismissed Kanu’s fundamental rights enforcement suit.
The Director General of the DSS and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) were listed as respondents in the appeal. The ruling marks another legal setback for the separatist leader following his life sentence conviction on November 20.
