Ejimakor Challenges Kanu's Trial on Jurisdictional Grounds

Aloy Ejimakor, who served as the lead counsel for Nnamdi Kanu from February 2024 to March 2025, has explained his challenge to the continuation of Kanu's terrorism trial. He argued that the prosecution did not disclose the locations of the alleged broadcasts that underpin the charges, which were made between 2018 and 2021 while Kanu was outside Nigeria.

Ejimakor stated that the omission creates a fundamental jurisdictional question, as the broadcasts were allegedly made from either the United Kingdom or Kenya. He noted that the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022 introduced the doctrine of double criminality, requiring that an act committed outside Nigeria must also be an offence in the country where it occurred.

Ejimakor emphasized that if the broadcasts are not considered a crime in those countries, the Federal High Court lacks jurisdiction. He recalled that the Supreme Court overturned a previous decision in December 2023, allowing Kanu's trial to proceed under Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, and that his review of the charges revealed no foreign locations were identified.