The 21 justices that were recently transferred to various divisions in the country were no way connected to the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the Court of Appeal headquarters in Abuja, said Tuesday.
Reports in the media had stated that the transfers where targeted at the justices who gave judgement discharging the leader of the banned Inigenous People Of Biafra leader from the case of terrorism and treason he was facing.
But in a statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the Court, Umar Mohammed Bangari, the reports were not correct.
“The attention of the Court of Appeal has been drawn to a publication in the media on Monday, October 24, 2022 with a caption ‘Nnamdi Kanu: 3 Justices on Appeal Court Panel Transferred.’
“The publication in question conveyed the innuendo to the effect that the recent postings of justices of the Court of Appeal were in connection with or in response to the judgment of the court of 13th October 2022 in Nnamdi Kanu Versus the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We wish to state categorically that the general postings of the justices of the Court of Appeal under reference were routine and aimed at reinvigorating the justice delivery system of the Court.
“In fact, 21 out of 81 justices including 6 presiding justices of the court were affected by the general postings. It is therefore incorrect to insinuate that the honourable justices who delivered the judgment in the Nnamdi Kanu appeal were the targets of the routine posting exercise.
“A few minutes of inquiry by the media could have clarified the fact. We appeal to the media to exercise restraint and circumspection in reporting matters pertaining to the Court and its operations.
“The Court of Appeal has an open door policy of providing easy access to the media to make inquiries and seek clarification on any matters of interest to the media for the benefit of the general public.”
