Judge accused of ‘judicial rascality’ withdraws from Kanu’s trial

Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader and Director at Biafra Radio

Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday withdrew from the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Justice Tsoho who was accused of judicial rascality by the Biafran group, is the second judge to do so.

Mr. Kanu is facing treason charges brought by the Nigerian government for leading a separatist group.

He has been in detention since October 2015.

The first judge in the case, Ahmed Mohammed, stepped down in December 2015, after Mr. Kanu said he had no confidence in him.

In a new petition to the National Judicial Council, Mr. Kanu accused Justice Tsoho of “judicial rascality” and called for his investigation by the council.

In the petition made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Mr. Kanu through his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, asked the council to investigate Justice Tsoho for giving parallel judgments on the same request.

Mr. Ejiofor said after Justice Tsoho decided in favour of the defence in an application for the protection of witnesses by the prosecution, he later ruled in favour of the prosecution, without seeking the permission of a higher court.

At the opening of session on Monday, another counsel to Mr. Kanu, Chuks Muoma, said the continuation of the matter by Justice Tsoho would amount to a great disservice since there was a petition against him before the NJC.

Justice Tsoho announced he had stepped down, pending the decision of the council.

“Even if I am cleared of any bias by the NJC, I will not continue with this case,” said Justice Tsoho.

Premium Times.

Comments

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...

Fire: UniJos Senate convenes emergency meeting on Monday

Fire at the University of Jos Library University of Jos is to convene an emergency senate meeting on Monday to review the level of damage done to the institution by the Saturday night inferno. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, disclosed this on Sunday after inspecting areas affected by the incident. The fire, which lasted for more than six hours, destroyed the Library Complex that equally houses the faculties of management and social sciences. The fire also destroyed examination scripts, books and very crucial materials. Consequently, the vice-chancellor said “the Senate will meet tomorrow (Monday) to take a decision about the unmarked examination scripts that were burnt.” On the cause of the inferno, Maimako said investigation had commenced, adding that “nothing has been confirmed yet. We are still investigating.” The vice chancellor said the school was already working with federal authorities toward establishing a main fire station since the mini fire station in t...

NDLEA arrests 252 suspects, seizes 3,073 kg Indian hemp

NDLEA operatives The NDLEA in Niger on Monday said that it had arrested 252 suspects and seized 3,073.9 kilogramme of Indian hemp(cannabis sativa) in the state. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Joseph Iweajunwa, who disclosed this in Minna, said that the operations were carried out between January and September. “Our operations in Niger State from January to September 2016 led to the arrest of 252 suspects and seizure of 3,073.997 kilogramme of cannabis sativa,’’ he said. Iweajunwa said that within the period, the agency also seized 1, 530 litres of liquid drugs, especially cough syrup with codeine. He said the NDLEA also counselled and rehabilitated 90 drug addicts in the state within the period under review. The agency, he added, secured convictions of only nine of the suspects because the judge at the Federal High Court, Minna, went on leave. “ Now that the judge has resumed more suspects will be tried,’’ he said. He advised motorists, especially commercial vehicle dri...

Global Naija Info

Search This Blog