KANU’S FAMILY DEMANDS APPEAL HEARING, QUESTIONS BASIS FOR CONVICTION

The family of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has called for the immediate listing and hearing of his pending appeals against his conviction and continued detention.

The Okwu-Kanu family said Kanu had written to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the President of the Court of Appeal, requesting that the pending matters be scheduled without further delay.

The family said one of the cases before the Supreme Court challenges the legality of a December 15, 2023 remittal judgment, while a separate appeal before the Court of Appeal challenges Kanu’s November 20, 2025 conviction and life sentence.

According to the family, Kanu’s appeal was filed on June 5, 2026 and served on the Federal Government, but the period for filing a respondent’s brief had elapsed without the matter being listed for hearing.

The family also questioned the legal basis of Kanu’s conviction and raised concerns over what it described as delays in the appellate process. It compared the current situation with events in 2022, when the Federal Government successfully obtained a stay of execution shortly after the Court of Appeal had discharged Kanu.

Kanu’s legal team has previously argued that the conviction was based on legal and procedural errors, including questions over which terrorism legislation applied to his case. His appeal seeks to overturn the conviction and sentences imposed by the Federal High Court.

The family stressed that it was not asking the courts to predetermine the outcome of the cases, but to hear and determine the legal questions raised by Kanu’s appeals.

It therefore urged the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal to list the pending matters and allow all parties to present their arguments, saying a prompt judicial determination would help resolve the legal issues surrounding Kanu’s conviction and continued detention.