A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday, struck out all the remaining seven charges against Kanu.
A pan-Fulani socio-cultural association, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has described the judgment of the Court of Appeal that discharged and acquitted the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu as a miscarriage of justice.
A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday, struck out all the remaining seven charges against Kanu.
The IPOB leader was re-arraigned before a Federal High Court on amended 15 counts bordering on treasonable felony preferred against him by the Nigerian government.
However, on April 8, Justice Binta Nyako struck out eight of the 15 counts.
While ruling on the preliminary objection seeking to quash the charges, the judge said counts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14 had not disclosed any offence against the defendant (Kanu).
She however said that counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 15 showed some allegations, which the defendant had to answer.
However, Kanu through his team of lawyers led by Mike Ozekhome, filed an appeal marked CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022, praying the court to quash the remaining seven counts for being devoid of merit.
On Thursday, the Court of Appeal panel struck out all the remaining charges against him, ruling that the lower court “lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.”
The court held that Kanu’s extradition from Kenya in June 2021 to Nigeria without following the extradition rules was a flagrant violation of Nigeria’s extradition treaty and a breach of the IPOB leader’s fundamental human rights.
Reacting to the judgement, the National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Saleh Alhassan, urged the Nigerian government to approach the Supreme Court.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, Alhassan alleged that Kanu is a threat to national security and setting him free will jeopardise the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
He described the IPOB leader as a terrorist.
“We are very sad with this judgement, how can a terrorist like Nnamdi Kanu that have organised the killing of innocent pastoralists, women, children, security personnel, insurrection against the country to be discharged by the Appeal Court?” Alhassan told SaharaReporters.
“I think this is a miscarriage of justice, they shouldn’t make the mistake of releasing Kanu. They should appeal that case to the Supreme Court, Nnamdi Kanu is a threat to national security, setting him free will jeopardise the conduct of the 2023 elections.
“It’s going to set a very dangerous signal and bad precedence to other criminal gangs to continue with their impunity. We are suspecting a compromise in the judicial process and we believe the AGF will do the needful by appealing that judgement because the best place for Kanu is to be behind the bar.”