The Federal High Court in the Nigerian capital Abuja has threatened to foreclose the defence of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), should he fail to open his defence in his ongoing trial for terrorism against the country.
Kanu has been in detention since 2021 following his controversial rendition from Kenya.
Representing himself lately after disbanding his defence team, Kanu has formally told the court he had no case to answer.
Presiding Judge, Justice James Omotosho, issued the warning on Tuesday following Kanu’s continued refusal to enter his defence, marking the fourth consecutive hearing where the IPOB leader declined to proceed.
This comes after the court had overruled Kanu’s no-case submission and directed him to either file his final written address or commence his defence.
Kanu, who is representing himself after discharging his legal team, told the court he has not filed a final written address, but instead submitted a motion and affidavit challenging the validity of the charges against him.
“I will not enter any defence because there is no valid charge known to law pending against me,” Kanu told the court. He added that he should be released immediately, saying, “I won’t go back to detention.”
However, prosecuting counsel Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) challenged the competence of the fresh documents filed by Kanu, describing them as improperly filed and an attempt to delay proceedings.
He urged the court to treat the filings as Kanu’s final written address and proceed to judgment.
In his ruling, Justice Omotosho disagreed with the prosecution, noting that the documents submitted by the defendant would be considered at the appropriate stage.
He added that, taking into account that Kanu is not a lawyer, he would be given one last opportunity to consult legal experts and proceed properly.
The Judge adjourned the matter to November 5, 2025, warning that should Kanu fail to open his defence on the next date, the court would consider him to have waived that right and may move forward with judgment.
