ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a N50 billion lawsuit filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), against the Federal Government.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, who delivered the ruling on Thursday, April 10, 2025, stated that the case was struck out due to a lack of follow-up, highlighting that no legal representative appeared for Kanu at the hearing, and the Federal Government was not represented either.
Justice Ekwo pointed out that the case had already been delayed three times for similar reasons.
He explained that there was no one present to continue the matter and, therefore, had no choice but to strike it out.
The case had originally been scheduled for hearing, but no lawyers showed up for either party.
Kanu had filed the lawsuit against the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Attorney-General of the Federation, alleging violations of his rights.
The case was centered on claims of his abduction in Kenya and his illegal rendition back to Nigeria, which he argued violated international and domestic laws.
Kanu sought the court’s intervention to decide whether his abduction and return to Nigeria were consistent with extant laws, particularly referencing the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Kanu also requested the court to rule on whether the charges he faced were the same as the ones for which he had been extradited.
He sought several reliefs, including his release from the Department of State Services’ custody and the cessation of his ongoing trial in a separate criminal case before Justice Binta Nyako.
The Nigerian government and the Attorney-General of the Federation had filed a preliminary objection, arguing that the case should be dismissed, as Kanu had already filed a similar suit in the Federal High Court in Umuahia.
The government contended that the Abuja court should not hear the matter, as it duplicated a pending case.
Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, had informed the court that he intended to take over the case from Chief Mike Ozekhome, who initially filed it in 2022.
