The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has instructed that Nnamdi Kanu’s treason trial case file be returned to Justice Binta Nyako for continued hearings.
Justice Nyako had previously recused herself from the case on September 24, following Kanu’s request for her to step aside due to a loss of confidence in her ability to ensure a fair hearing.
Justice Tsoho has now mandated that Justice Nyako resume presiding over the trial, while Kanu is required to submit a formal application, along with an affidavit, outlining his reasons for wanting the trial assigned to a different judge. The prosecution must also respond to Kanu’s application, after which Justice Nyako will review it and decide whether to withdraw from the case.
This directive from Justice Tsoho aims to avoid a situation similar to a previous case involving former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, where the Court of Appeal found that Justice Ahmed Mohammed had not properly withdrawn from the case without allowing parties to address the court on the matter.
Justice Nyako’s withdrawal on September 24 marks the third occasion a judge has stepped away from this case at the defendant’s request.
