Lawyer Challenges Supreme Court on Nnamdi Kanu Charges

Onyedikachi Ifedi, a lawyer and member of the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Global Legal Consortium, has raised concerns regarding the Supreme Court's decision to revive charges against Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The Court of Appeal had previously quashed counts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14 of a 15-count charge against Kanu on October 13, 2022, citing a lack of offense.

However, on December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court set aside this decision and ordered the trial to continue at the Federal High Court. Ifedi questioned the legal authority of the Supreme Court to revive the quashed charges and to alter the statutory foundation of Count 15, which became Count 7 in the new trial.

He emphasized that the Supreme Court's appellate jurisdiction does not grant it the power to resurrect charges or legislate criminal law. Ifedi also noted that the recusal of Justice Binta Nyako necessitated a new judge but did not address the legal status of the previously quashed counts.