Abuja, Nigeria — The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out a suit filed by detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, seeking ₦50 billion in damages from the Federal Government for alleged violations of his fundamental rights. The ruling, delivered on Friday, upheld an earlier decision of the Federal High Court which had dismissed the case for lack of diligent prosecution.
The three-member appellate panel held that the matter had become “academic” following Kanu’s conviction and transfer to the Sokoto Correctional Centre after his sentencing on terrorism-related charges earlier this month. According to the court, the reliefs sought by the IPOB leader — including compensation, release from detention, and a halt to his prosecution — no longer had practical effect given his present legal status as a convicted inmate.
Kanu had filed the original suit in 2022, alleging that his 2021 return to Nigeria from Kenya amounted to unlawful “extraordinary rendition,” a violation he claimed breached both Nigerian law and international human-rights protocols. He sought ₦50 billion in damages, a public apology from the Federal Government, and a declaration that his prosecution was unconstitutional.
However, the Federal High Court struck out the case earlier in the year after Kanu and his legal team repeatedly failed to appear in court. The Appeal Court, in its latest judgment, agreed with the lower court, noting that the applicant did not demonstrate willingness to prosecute the suit.
The panel further ruled that since Kanu is no longer in DSS custody, many of the reliefs he sought — particularly those concerning his place of detention — were now irrelevant.
Friday’s decision marks another legal setback for the IPOB leader, whose separate appeal challenging his terrorism conviction is still pending. His legal team is expected to announce their next steps in the coming days.
