Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The High Court of Abia State ordered the Federal Government to pay N1 billion compensation to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for the violation of his fundamental rights, including the illegal invasion of his country home in September 2017 by the military. Kanu had sought N5 billion compensation and apology from the government and urged the court to declare that the invasion of his home was illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and amounts to infringement of his rights to life, dignity of his person, his personal liberty and fair hearing. However, defendants raised preliminary objections to the jurisdiction of the state high court to entertain matters pertaining to the Federal Government. The court held that it had jurisdiction to hear the matter, condemned the invasion of Kanu's family house by the military and struck out Kanu's prayers to declare his repatriation from Kenya and continued detention as illegal. The Nigerian Army responded to the judgment by saying it would study the decision to know the next line of action. Kanu asked the Federal High Court to discharge and acquit him of the 15-count criminal charges, arguing that they were defective and have no force of law.