Justice Musa Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja has returned to the Chief Judge a motion filed by the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, requesting reassignment.
Kanu, through a motion ex parte, is seeking an order directing his transfer to the National Hospital, Abuja, for urgent medical treatment.
In a brief ruling, Justice Liman ordered that the case file be sent back to the CJ of the Federal High Court. This followed an application by Kanu’s counsel, Uchenna Njoku, SAN, who noted that the court’s annual vacation ends on September 15 (today).
Counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, did not object to Uchenna’s request.
At the resumed hearing, Justice Liman remarked that the vacation court lacked sufficient time to hear Kanu’s motion, pointing out that the registrar had listed not fewer than 30 cases for the day, which had to be reduced to six due to time constraints.
He explained that under Section 46(8) of the FHC Rules, any matter not concluded during the vacation must be returned to the CJ for reassignment. While acknowledging that Kanu’s motion was urgent due to health concerns, the judge noted it had been filed late.
Responding, Awomolo stated that in case management, the court had the ultimate discretion on which matters to hear. He described the situation as unfortunate, adding: “Had it been that they filed the application earlier, it would have been taken during vacation. But we are ready to take the motion any time, any day.”
Justice Liman therefore directed that the case file be forwarded to the registry for reassignment.