The ongoing terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been reassigned to a new judge.

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, John Tsoho, ordered the reassignment after months of intense pressure. Kanu’s special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, disclosed this development in a statement on Saturday.

Justice Binta Nyako had previously presided over the trial. However, during a court hearing on 24 September 2024, Kanu requested that she recuse herself, alleging bias in the handling of his case.

Ejimakor’s statement read: “Yesterday, before the legal team conducted our routine visitation to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, we received two separate official letters regarding his case. These letters are both significant and somewhat bittersweet.

“One letter was from the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, responding to a recent letter we had written, seeking her administrative intervention as the head of the Nigerian judiciary. We had requested a proper and lawful reassignment of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case following the recusal of the judge previously handling it.

“The second letter was from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, informing us that the case has now been reassigned to another judge.”

Following this development, Kanu instructed his legal team to publicly express his gratitude to the Chief Justice of Nigeria for her “sound administrative discretion and the swift response to our request.”

His legal team also extended appreciation to members of the public who supported their calls for the case to be reassigned, stating that the move aligns with legal provisions.

The statement continued: “To be clear, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has always been prepared to stand trial because he is firmly convinced of his innocence. However, the events of the past six months—since the recusal in September 2024—posed significant threats to his constitutional rights, particularly his right to a fair and speedy trial.

“In light of these concerns, we took extraordinary measures to ensure the case was properly reassigned and conducted in accordance with the law.

“Now that the authorities have taken the initial steps to rectify the situation, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his legal team will take stock and focus on preparing his defence with renewed determination.”