The Federal Government has taken Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to the Supreme Court over an October 13 decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja that favoured the IPOB leader.
The government, through Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, requested a stay of execution of the appellate court’s decision from the Supreme Court.
One of the reliefs in a motion for a stay of execution is this request.
The motion included a seven-ground notice of appeal in which the Federal Government not only criticized the lower court’s decision, but also requested that it be overturned.
The appellant argued, among other things, that the Court of Appeal erred when it criticized Kanu’s treatment after he jumped bail and fled the country.
It also claimed that the Court of Appeal erred when it dismissed the pending charge against Kanu on the grounds that the trial court lacked the necessary jurisdiction to continue the trial due to the manner in which Kanu was returned to the country after allegedly jumping bail.
A hearing date for the motion for a stay of execution is being sought.
On October 13, the Abuja Appeal Court ruled that the Federal Government’s abduction of Kanu in Kenya was illegal.
A three-judge panel of the appellate court also dismissed the federal government’s terrorism charge against him.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the Federal Government violated all local and international laws by forcibly returning Kanu to Nigeria, rendering the terrorism charge against him ineffective and unlawful.
