Activist Deji Adeyanju was on Friday remanded in prison until February 2019 by a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kano.
The magistrate Hassan Fagge ruled after taking Mr Adeyanju’s plea and concluding that it lacked jurisdiction to hear murder charges against him.
The police in Abuja had arrested Adeyanju on December 13, accusing him of being complicit in a murder case from the 2000s.
The activist had however been discharged and acquitted by the Kano State High Court following a lengthy trial that lasted between 2005 and 2009, according to court documents in custody of his lawyer Yusuf Suleiman.
Adeyanju was in detention without charges for five days before he was moved by the police to Kano on Tuesday.
Kano police then arraigned Adeyanju before Mr Fagge on December 19, but ordered his remand and scheduled on Friday for bail hearing.
Fagge said he had determined that he lacked the power to hear the homicide charges brought against Adeyanju by the police, but said the political activist should be remanded in prison until February 6 when a higher court could be available to hear the matter.
Adeyanju was subsequently moved to Kano Central Prison, according to his lawyer.
“This is clearly an attempt to keep him unlawfully in detention,” Mr Suleiman said, adding that the matter was concluded nearly 10 years ago and should not have been picked up again by the police, much less taken back to court.
The police in Kano are playing politics with Adeyanju’s fundamental rights, the lawyer said.
