Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), pleaded not guilty to terrorism and treason charges in a Nigerian court on Friday.
His trial, now under a fourth judge, continues to face legal hurdles.
Kanu, a British citizen, was first arrested in 2015 but fled Nigeria while on bail in 2017.
Authorities rearrested him in Kenya in 2021 and brought him back to face seven terrorism-related charges, which he has consistently denied.
Judge James Omotosho, the new presiding judge, scheduled trial dates for April 29, May 2, and May 6.
The case has been repeatedly delayed due to judicial recusals and failed bail applications.
Kanu’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi, apologized to Judge Binta Nyako—who recently stepped down from the case—prosecutor Adegboyega Awomolo, and defense lawyer Alloy Ejimakor for the defendant’s past courtroom outbursts.
IPOB seeks the secession of southeastern Nigeria, home to the Igbo ethnic group.
The Nigerian government has classified the group as a terrorist organization.
The struggle for Biafran independence echoes the deadly civil war of 1967–1970, in which over a million people perished.
Kanu, born that same year, remains at the center of renewed separatist tensions.
