The Court of Appeal on Wednesday fixed March 7, 2023 to hear an application filed by the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
News Agency of Nigeria reports Kanu is seeking to be joined in the appeal challenging the proscription of the group by the Federal Government.
Kanu had on September 5, 2022 filed the joinder application as an interested party in the Jan. 18, 2018 judgment of the Federal High Court in suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/871/2017, that proscribed IPOB.
Although hearing in the application was scheduled for Wednesday, the appellate court did not sit and the matter was fixed until March 7, 2023.
Lead counsel to Kanu, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, SAN, who filed the processes said his client was appealing the judgment of the trial court which was rendered without hearing from him.
Kanu who expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment hasproposed to challenge it on appeal.
In his proposed grounds of appeal, he contended that the trial judge erred in law when he ruled that:
“The Attorney-General in his application ex parte exhibited documents showing the existence of threat to national security by the Respondent/Applicant and I accordingly made the order.
“By the order of 20th September 2017 prescribing the Respondent/Applicant organisation am of the firm view that the right of the Applicant to private and family life freedom of expression, right to peaceful assembly and freedom of movement have not been infringed upon.
“I also hold that the Applicant’s right to fair hearing has not been violated by the grant on the Ex parte order,” he said.
On this ground, Ume argued that the ex parte order of proscription of the appellant and its listing as a terrorist group violated applicant’s constitutional right to fair hearing.
