**Appeal Court Strikes Out Nnamdi Kanu’s Rights Claim Against DSS and AGF**
The Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed an appeal by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, on Friday. Kanu sought redress for alleged fundamental rights abuses by the Director-General of the Department of State Services and the Attorney-General of the Federation. A three-judge panel ruled the case lacked merit and had lost relevance after his conviction and life sentence.
Kanu filed the original suit in December 2021, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1585/2021, claiming poor health in DSS custody and unqualified medical staff. Retired Justice Taiwo Taiwo threw out the suit on July 3 for want of proof. The appeal challenged that ruling, but events overtook it.
Justice Boloukuromo Ugo led the panel in declaring the claims moot. Kanu now holds in Sokoto Correctional Centre, not DSS cells, rendering pleas for better care, dignity, and religious freedom outdated. His lawyer, Maxwell Opara, confirmed the transfer early in hearings, making a requested move to Kuje prison pointless.
Kanu failed to back torture claims or prove medical neglect with expert witnesses. DSS counsel Idowu Awo noted no evidence of quack doctors. AGF lawyer Simon Enoch pushed for outright dismissal.
Detainees may practise faith, the court added, but not at others’ expense or to disrupt peace. Kanu once sought prison over DSS hold, sealing the suit’s irrelevance post-conviction.
This ruling piles fresh weight on a man already bowed by chains and lost causes. In the quiet cells of Sokoto, his fight echoes the cries of a people still seeking voice amid silenced pleas.
1 comment