The family of the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has disclosed that he has written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the President of the Court of Appeal, seeking the urgent hearing and determination of his pending cases.
The Okwu-Kanu Family, in a statement, said Kanu’s requests followed what it described as delays in the determination of his cases, including the alleged failure of the Federal Government to file substantive responses in one of the proceedings.
According to the family, Kanu instituted a case before the Supreme Court on November 7, 2025, challenging the legality of the apex court’s December 15, 2023 judgment which remitted him for the continuation of his criminal trial.
The family said the Federal Government was served with the suit on the same day but had, according to records available to it, neither filed a substantive response nor caused the matter to be listed for hearing more than nine months later.
In a letter dated August 15, 2026, addressed to the CJN through the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kanu requested that the suit be listed, heard and determined.
The letter was received by the Supreme Court on August 17, 2026, and was written from the Sokoto Medium Security Custodial Centre, where Kanu is serving his sentence.
Titled, “Urgent Request For Listing And Determination Of My Pending Elected Suit Filed And Served On 7 November 2025,” Kanu said he had remained in detention since June 19, 2021.
“I write to request one thing: that my pending suit before the Supreme Court, filed on 7 November 2025 and served upon the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the same day, be listed, heard and determined,” he stated.
Kanu said he was making the request respectfully but would not “obscure the gravity of what has occurred with diplomatic euphemisms.”
He argued that his remittal for the continuation of criminal proceedings was based on legislation that had already been repealed.
Kanu specifically cited the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, which came into force in May 2022, noting that Section 97 provides for the continuation of certain proceedings under the new legislation.
He also referred to Section 98(1), which expressly repealed the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013.
“The judgment of 15 December 2023 remitted me for continuation of criminal proceedings founded upon legislation which the National Assembly had already repealed.
“Yet I was remitted into proceedings constituted under the repealed statutory regime,” he stated.
Kanu further argued that the jurisdictional challenge raised in his suit remained unresolved while he continued to be detained.
Meanwhile, the Okwu-Kanu Family disclosed that he has a separate appeal before the Court of Appeal challenging his November 20, 2025 conviction and life sentence.
The appeal, identified as Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CR/393/2026, arose from Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015 between Kanu and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In a letter dated August 10, 2026, addressed to the President of the Court of Appeal through the Chief Registrar of the Abuja Division, Kanu requested the expedited listing of his pending motion, application for bail pending appeal and substantive appeal.
Kanu said he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, alongside other terms, by the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20, 2025.
He noted that the Record of Appeal was transmitted on March 9, 2026, while his Appellant’s Brief of Argument was filed on June 5, 2026 and served on the Federal Government.
“I am the Appellant in the above-numbered appeal. I was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment (and other terms) by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on 20th November 2025,” he stated.
“The Record of Appeal was transmitted on 9th March 2026. My Appellant’s Brief of Argument was filed on 5th June 2026 and duly served on the Respondent,” he added.
He subsequently urged the Court of Appeal to list his pending applications and substantive appeal for hearing, citing what he described as the exceptional circumstances surrounding his continued detention.
The family also questioned what it described as a disparity between the speed with which the judiciary acted when the Federal Government sought to prevent Kanu’s release in 2022 and the pace of proceedings concerning his current legal challenge.
It recalled that the Court of Appeal, on October 13, 2022, delivered a judgment discharging Kanu and quashing the criminal charges against him.
According to the family, despite the judgment, the Federal Government obtained a civil stay of execution from a differently constituted panel of the Court of Appeal on October 28, 2022, 14 days after the discharge.
The family argued that the criminal appeal had already been finally determined and that the Court of Appeal was therefore functus officio.
It further contended that civil procedure could not lawfully be used to sustain Kanu’s detention after the criminal charges against him had been quashed.
The family described the development as an unprecedented “hybridisation” of civil and criminal procedure, arguing that a civil stay was neither a criminal charge nor a remand order and could not revive quashed criminal counts.
“Fourteen days. In fourteen days, the machinery of the Court of Appeal moved from an acquittal-equivalent discharge to a civil stay that kept Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in detention,” the family stated.
It said Kanu was now demanding similar urgency in the handling of his pending cases, stressing that he was not seeking special treatment but a prompt determination of his appeals.
“He is not asking for special treatment. He is asking that his pending cases be listed, heard and determined,” the family said.
The Okwu-Kanu Family also disclosed plans to formally notify the United States Congress, Israeli Knesset and International Bar Association about the issues surrounding Kanu’s cases.
It said the notifications would highlight what it considers significant legal and procedural questions concerning his continued detention and the handling of his pending appeals.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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