British Appeal Court to hear Kanu’s case

A Court of Appeal in Britain has given the family of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the go-ahead to challenge a ruling on his extraordinary rendition from Kenya two years ago.

Kanu, who is standing trial on charges of treasonable felony and terrorism at the Federal High Court, Abuja, was brought back to the country in June 2021.

The activist’s brother, Kingsley Kalu, who filed the suit, decried the handling of the IPOB’s leader case by three British foreign secretaries – Liz Truss, Dominic Raab, and James Cleverly.

A British High Court had on March 23 rejected the Kanu family’s application for judicial review of the British government’s failure to take a firm position on the activist’s extraordinary rendition.

Kanu’s special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, who confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday, said Lord Justice Lewis granted the application on May 8.

READ ALSO: Arewa community kicks against calls for Kanu’s unconditional release

The judge had since fixed June 22 for the hearing of the appeal.

He said: “The grounds of appeal raise important issues concerning the scope of the obligations on the respondent in relation to requests for consular assistance in respect of British nationals detained abroad and the proper interpretation and application of the decision of the Court of Appeal in R(Abassi) v Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office [2003] UKHRR 76.

“For those reasons, there is a compelling reason for the appeal to be heard, within the meaning of CPR 52.6(1)(b). Permission is granted on all three grounds.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now