By Our Correspondent
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out the fundamental rights-violation suit filed by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, ruling that the matter has been overtaken by events.
Kanu had appealed an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court which dismissed his claims that his rights were violated while he was held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). However, the appellate court held that the issues raised in the suit were no longer relevant, given that Kanu has since been convicted and moved from DSS custody to the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
Delivering the judgment, the court noted that the reliefs sought including requests relating to his treatment in DSS custody and a transfer to another detention facility had become academic. The justices held that a court does not entertain matters that have lost their practical relevance.
Kanu’s lawyer, Maxwell Opara, reacting to the decision, agreed that the appeal had already been overtaken by developments. According to him, once Kanu was moved to a correctional facility following his conviction, the core of the rights-violation complaint ceased to exist.
The original suit, filed in 2021, alleged denial of adequate medical care, restrictions on access to legal counsel, violations of dignity, and interference with religious freedom. The Federal High Court dismissed the case for lack of evidence, particularly the absence of expert medical testimony.
With the Court of Appeal’s decision, the rights-violation suit has effectively ended, though Kanu’s legal team maintains that other legal avenues remain open.
