A ₦50 billion lawsuit filed by Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), against the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has been dismissed by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the ruling on Thursday, April 10, stating that the fundamental rights suit brought by Kanu was struck out due to repeated absence by the plaintiff and his legal team.
According to the judge, neither Kanu nor his lawyer appeared in court on three different occasions when the case was scheduled. On the latest date, they again failed to show up without offering any explanation for their absence.
Justice Ekwo noted that the court could no longer continue to accommodate such behavior. He said, “There should be an end to indulgence by the court. My opinion is that this matter has been abandoned and ought to be so treated.”
He then ruled to strike out the case, which was marked FHC/ABJ/CS/462/2022, for lack of diligent prosecution.
Kanu had originally filed the suit claiming that the federal government violated his fundamental human rights during his arrest in Kenya. He alleged that he was unlawfully abducted and brought to Nigeria. In the suit, he sought 11 different reliefs, including his immediate release from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
He also requested the court to stop the government from proceeding with his prosecution on charges of treason filed by the DSS.
