Supreme Court On Alert As Nnamdi Kanu Submits Fresh Legal Request

The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a fresh motion urging the Supreme Court to review its previous judgment in the case between him and the federal government of Nigeria.

In the motion, Kanu requested that the court reconsider its ruling in the suit marked SC/CR/1361/2022, which had ordered his retrial. He also sought an extension of time to apply for the review of the Supreme Court judgment delivered on 18 December 2023.

Kanu explained that he only gained full access to his complete case file on 26 October 2025, for the first time since his incarceration, after deciding to represent himself. He argued that he now needs sufficient time to examine the case details thoroughly.

The motion states, in part:

“AN ORDER granting leave to the Applicant to apply for an Order reviewing the aforesaid judgment of this Honourable Court delivered on 15 December 2023 in FRN v. Nnamdi Kanu (SC/CR/1361/2022). AN ORDER extending the time within which the Applicant may file the application for review and deeming it properly filed and served. Further orders as deemed necessary by the Court.”

Kanu contended that the December 2023 judgment was delivered per curiam and relied on statutes that had already been repealed at the time, making the decision inconsistent with the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, Section 36(12) of the Constitution, and Section 122 of the Evidence Act 2011. He argued that the procedural delay was not willful but a result of restricted custodial access and his late discovery of what he describes as a jurisdictional error.

In a supporting affidavit, his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, reiterated that Nnamdi only assumed control of his case on 21 October 2025. Upon reviewing the complete records, he discovered that the statutes underpinning the Supreme Court ruling had been repealed, prompting the fresh motion to set aside the judgment.

The affidavit reads:

“Since the judgment on 15 December 2023, my brother remained in custody with severely limited access to counsel and case files. On 21 October 2025, he assumed personal control of his case. On 26 October 2025, he accessed the complete case file and discovered the judgment was delivered per incuriam, based on repealed statutes. He immediately resolved to file a Motion to set aside the judgment, and this application for extension of time is made promptly and in good faith.”