Why Judge Who Ruled In Favor Of Nnamdi Kanu Was Transferred – Appeal Court Clarifies

Why Judge Who Ruled In Favor Of Nnamdi Kanu Was Transferred – Appeal Court Clarifies

The Court of appeal in Abuja has said that the transfer of its 21 judges has no link with the matter between Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). and the Federal Government.

ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER had reported that the three judges who quashed all the terrorism charges against Kanu on October 13, were affected in the transfer which was conveyed in a memo dated October 17. READ HERE

However, a statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the Court, Malam Umar Mohammed Bangari, said only one judge out of the three who ruled on Nnamdi Kanu’s case was affected by the transfer.

The statement read in part;

“The attention of the Court of Appeal has been drawn to a publication in the media on Monday October 24, 2022 with a caption “Nnamdi Kanu: 3 Justices on Appeal Court Panel Transferred”.

“The publication in question conveyed the innuendo to the effect that the recent postings of Justices of the Court of Appeal were in connection with or in response to the judgment of the Court of 13th October 2022 in Nnamdi Kanu Versus the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We wish to state categorically that the general postings of the Justices of the Court of Appeal under reference were routine and aimed at reinvigorating the justice delivery system of the Court.

“In fact, 21 out of 81 Justices including 6 Presiding Justices of the Court were affected by the general postings.

“It is therefore incorrect to insinuate that the Honourable Justices who delivered the judgment in the Nnamdi Kanu appeal were the targets of the routine posting exercise.

“A few minutes of inquiry by the media could have clarified the fact.

“We appeal to the media to exercise restraint and circumspection in reporting matters pertaining to the Court and its operations.

“The Court of Appeal has an open door policy of providing easy access to the media to make inquiries and seek clarification on any matters of interest to the media for the benefit of the general public.”