Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that judgment in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the self-proclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), will be delivered without the defendant present.
He gave the order on Thursday during the resumed hearing, citing what he described as Kanu’s disruptive conduct in court.
Earlier in the proceedings, the judge directed that Kanu be escorted out after he became unruly midway through the session.
Before this, Justice Omotosho had dismissed three new applications filed by Kanu, describing them as lacking merit, after the matter had already been set for judgment.
As the judge prepared to give the ruling originally scheduled for Thursday, November 20, Kanu protested, insisting that the court could not proceed because he had not submitted his final written address. He raised his voice, accused the judge of bias, and alleged that Omotosho “did not know the law.”
Kanu was subsequently removed from the courtroom, and the judge went on to deliver the judgment in his absence.
