Aid workers in Nigeria are struggling to reach hundreds of thousands of people displaced by floods. Floodwaters have hit the country’s oil-producing region in the south, after devastating northern, central and eastern parts of the country. Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris reports from Atani, one of the worst-hit areas in southern Nigeria.
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Nigeria’s attorney general, Abubakar Malami, responded to Thursday's ruling in a statement saying the separatist is discharged but not acquitted.
Malami said authorities will explore legal steps to revisit the court's decision. He said the court failed to take into account issues that took place before Nnamdi Kanu was extradited to Nigeria from Kenya last year.
A three-judge panel of an appeals court Thursday ruled that Kanu’s trial was unlawful, and said authorities flouted international treaties to "abduct" the separatist.
The court said the circumstances surrounding his arrest did not give the government the jurisdiction to continue to keep him on trial.
The court also ruled that the government did not provide clear evidence of when and where Kanu committed the many allegations against him.
The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to calls for further comment. But Kanu's lawyer, Ifanyi Ejiofor, spoke to VOA via phone.
"The right of appeal is a constitutional right but the fact is that order of court must be obeyed, it's sacrosanct. Saying that Nnamdi Kanu was discharged not acquitted I believe is an impudence on the judgement of the court of appeals. The court used the word abduction, that is to tell you the level of the atrocity they committed," he said.
It's not clear when he will be freed.
"We expect them to comply immediately with the court order because detention became illegal as of yesterday. Yesterday, the court directed he should be released immediately. They should release him to us without any further ado," Ejiofor said.
Kanu is leading a movement to break off southeastern Nigeria from the rest of the country to form a republic called Biafra.
A previous Biafra independence movement led to a civil war between 1967 and 1970 that killed an estimated one million people.
On Friday, as news of Kanu's court discharge spread, so did excitement in Nigeria's Southwest region.
Christian Paul hails from Imo state, one of the strong bases for the separatist movement. He believes that with Kanu’s release, the court may have been sending a message.
"They violated his human rights and kept making fresh allegations against him. At this point in time, it becomes really strategic if his release is granted by a court. It might have some political undertone,” he said.
Nigerian voters head to the polls in February of next year to elect a new leader.
By Timothy Obiezu
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Zamfara state in northwestern Nigeria ordered five media outlets to close on Sunday after they covered a political rally for the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), which took place in violation of a state ban on political activities.
The order to close came after Governor Bello Muhammad, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, banned political activities, including meetings at individuals' homes, on October 13 due to the security situation in the state.
The ban includes campaigning for February 2023 presidential elections, which began nationwide last month.
Zamfara state, along with much of northwestern Nigeria, is battling armed groups of 'bandits' who have kidnapped thousands for ransom, killed hundreds and made many roads impassable and some farming impossible.
"Zamfara State Commissioner of Police has been directed to enforce full compliance and arrest of any staff of these media organizations... performing any duties in violation of the shut down," said a statement from the state security council released on Sunday.
The statement named five outlets, Pride FM Radio Gusau, NTA Gusau, Amji TV Gusau, Gamji TV Gusau and Alumma TV Gusau. It did not specify why they had been ordered "shut down", but state information commissioner Ibrahim Magaji Dosara told the BBC Hausa that it was because they covered PDP activities held in violation of the state government's order.
Zamfara's political activity ban came alongside other measures, including restricting movement in some local areas and shutting down several roads.
The statement directed security officials to "deal ruthlessly" with anyone found violating the orders.
By Garba Muhammad
Severe flooding in Nigeria is making people increasingly desperate. Hundreds of thousands of people in several communities are out of reach, and many families are waiting for news of their loved ones. Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris reports from Otuocha, Nigeria.
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Flooding in Nigeria’s Anambra state this year has displaced nearly 600,000 people. An additional 500 people have died. Nigeria's national emergency management agency says increased rainfall and the release of excess water from a dam in neighboring Cameroon have contributed to flooding in Nigeria.
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