The Court of Appeal in Abuja has struck out an appeal filed by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on the grounds that it lacked merit and had become academic following his conviction for terrorism.
A three-member panel delivered the judgement on Friday.
The court held that Mr Kanu’s claims that his rights to human dignity, health care and religion were being violated in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) could no longer stand since he had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court on November 20.
In the lead judgement, Justice Boloukuromo Ugo said Kanu’s lawyer, Maxwell Opara, confirmed during the proceedings that his client is being held at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
He ruled that the court could no longer grant the request for Kanu to be transferred from DSS custody to Kuje prison.
Justice Ugo added that since Kanu had earlier stated a preference for prison custody, the court could not grant the prayers in the appeal after his conviction and transfer to the correctional facility.
The appeal challenged the July 3 judgement of Justice Taiwo Taiwo (now retired) of the Federal High Court, which dismissed Kanu’s fundamental rights enforcement suit for failure to prove his claims.
The director general of the DSS and the Attorney General of the Federation were listed as respondents.
Nnamdi Kanu was convicted on a seven-count terrorism charge by Justice James Omotosho, who held that the prosecution proved its case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The Court of Appeal subsequently struck out the appeal for lacking merit.
