Detained Biafra Republic agitation leader, Nnamdi Kanu has not been released by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Nigeria National Judicial Council, NJC says in reaction to viral rumours that the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB leader has been set free by the CJN on the ground that Nigeria courts under her leadership have no jurisdiction over the freedom fighter’s case due to the way and manner he was forcefully extradited from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021.

The National Judicial Council debunked the rumoured reports that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has been released and repatriated back to Kenya.

NJC in a statement signed by its Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Ogedengbe, on Thursday in Abuja, emphasised that the purported report is a fabrication and a figment of the writers’ imagination.

The council clarified that while the release is attributed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, there is no court decision from her to substantiate the claim.

Kanu is currently facing a seven-count terrorism charge brought against him by the Federal Government.

He was first arrested on October 14, 2015, following his return to Nigeria from the UK.

He was later granted bail in 2017 on health grounds after being detained at the Kuje Correctional Facility.

Kanu left Nigeria and returned to the United Kingdom following allegations of threat to life when men of the Nigerian Army allegedly invaded his home in Abia State.

He was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 and extradited to Nigeria, where he has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services till date.

Kanu’s trial, which was briefly stalled due to his demand for a change in his trial judge, is set to continue on Friday, March 21, before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The council added that the CJN never wrote any formal letter to the Kenyan Government or High Commission apologizing for the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu or his trial. It urged members of the public to disregard the fake story.

We had reported that the detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu on Valentine’s day send a message to the lovers, supporters of the Biafra Republic agitation and the general public that he would remain in detention until impartial and unbiased judge takeover the case of alleged terrorism filed against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria, narrating how the judiciary has been biased against him since years of his detention.

We had reported that Justice Binta Nyako of Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned indefinitely after the detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu as seen in a privileged video footage during February 10, 2025 court session, staged a resistance protest, insisting while confronting the judge face to face including the prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo that Justice Binta who is an indigene of Katsina State, same state with former President Muhammadu Buhari is biased, saying, Justice Nyako who had held a political position of Katsina State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice that her court is not a court of law but a shrine of injustice, accusing the judge of poke nosing with authorities to pass wrong judgement against him inorder to be left off the hook by the Federal Government, her son, Abdul-Aziz Nyako and her husband, retired Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako who was once Chief of Naval Staff, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, pioneer former military Governor of Niger State, two times Governor of Adamawa State who were impeached twice by Adamawa State House of Assembly for misconduct, one of the soldiers that fought against Biafra during Nigeria civil war, a current member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC who is facing corruption charges alongside his son in a criminal allegation filed before court of law since 2015 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC over alleged cases of abuse of office, criminal conspiracy, theft and money laundering.

We had October, 2024 reported that the Chief Judge of Federal High Court in Nigeria, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho has rejected the verbal plea by the detained Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu for the trial judge in the case, Justice Binta Nyako to withdraw being the judge over the lawsuits.

Justice Tsoho stated that Kanu’s case was reassigned to Justice Nyako due to its prolonged nature, dating back to 2015. Given that Justice Nyako had handled the case for the most part, she was deemed the most suitable judge to see it through to its conclusion.

However, the Chief Judge directed that if at the next hearing of the case, Kanu still insists on recusing Justice Nyako, he must file a written motion with an affidavit, stating all the grounds for requesting the recusal.

We had reported in September 2024 that Justice Binta Nyako of Federal High Court sitting in Abuja have withdrawn from the case of  detained Biafra Leader, Nnamdi Kanu after the trial could not commence following the Biafra Leader’s personal confrontation with the judge for the second time in the year.

We had reported in May 2024 that, in a rare case in the history of legal proceedings in the world, Nnamdi Kanu, the detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB helped himself at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and played the role of a lawyer with full energy and vibrant command of words with fearless loud voice defended himself  with face to face confrontation with the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako and the Federal Government Prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo.

Kanu is being prosecuted by the Federal Government on a seven-count bordering on terrorism.