TDBarrister Aloy Ejimakor, legal counsel to convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has confirmed that the appellate brief in his client’s ongoing legal battle has been formally filed before the Court of Appeal.
In a statement released on Thursday, Kanu’s lawyer, Ejimakor, disclosed that he had communicated certain concerns regarding the appeal process to his client, who subsequently authorized him to publicly clarify the status of the case.
According to Ejimakor, the appeal brief has indeed been filed, but it is not the same version that was circulated on social media in recent days.
“The Brief has been filed, but it’s not the version that was circulated on social media some days ago,” the lawyer stated.
He explained that the next procedural step is for the Federal Government to respond by filing its own reply brief, thereby joining issues with the appellant’s submissions before the appellate court.
Once the government’s response is received, Ejimakor said, the Court of Appeal is expected to schedule a date either for the hearing of the appeal or for the adoption of the parties’ respective briefs in open court.
The senior lawyer further noted that after the briefs have been adopted and arguments concluded, the appellate court would be expected to deliver its judgment within the timeframe prescribed by law.
“What now remains is for the Government to join issues by filing its own reply Brief, and so soon thereafter, the Court of Appeal will set a date for the hearing of the appeal or adoption of the respective Briefs in open court,” he said.
“Once this is done, the Court will be minded to render its judgment within 90 days, as required by law.”
The development marks another significant stage in the long-running legal proceedings involving Kanu, whose case has remained a subject of national and international attention.
Neither the Federal Government nor the Court of Appeal had issued an official statement on the filing as of the time of this report.
The date for the hearing of the appeal is also yet to be announced.
