IPOB Accuses FG of “Witch-Hunt” as Nnamdi Kanu Faces Trial Under Obsolete Laws, No Evidence of Terrorism Alleged
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has once again raised alarm over what it calls a “politically motivated witch-hunt” against its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, claiming that the Nigerian government is prosecuting him under repealed laws and without any credible evidence.
In a scathing statement signed by Onyekachi Ifedi, Esq. of IPOB’s Directorate of Legal Affairs and Global Communications, the group decried the ongoing legal process as a gross violation of due process and a deliberate campaign of misinformation.
Kanu, who was controversially renditioned from Kenya in June 2021, has now spent over four years in detention. IPOB maintains that despite numerous amended charges, the Federal Government has failed to provide any concrete evidence linking him to terrorism, violence, or incitement.
“There are no named victims, no forensic evidence, and no eyewitness accounts,” the group emphasized, describing the charges as hollow and unsustainable.
According to IPOB, the laws under which Kanu is being tried including the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2013 and the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) have already been repealed, making the legal basis of the case obsolete.
Even worse, IPOB accused the courts of procedural malpractice, citing how charges were amended from the Criminal Code to CEMA without formal documentation. “This omission is not just an error it’s a legal disaster,” the group said.
The statement also drew attention to a 2017 ruling by Justice Binta Nyako, which held that IPOB is not an illegal organization. IPOB insists that the government’s later proscription of the group through an ex parte motion violated both Nigerian and international legal norms.
Furthering its defense, IPOB referenced the Dikko v. State case, where the Nigerian Supreme Court dismissed charges due to the illegal abduction of the accused from another country. IPOB asks: “Why is Kanu treated differently? Is justice regional?”
They also rejected any attempt to tie Kanu or IPOB to the 2020 EndSARS protests, pointing to official reports that blamed state actors not IPOB for the violence that ensued.
Calling on journalists, legal observers, and the international community, IPOB demanded that Kanu be given a fair trial and urged the Nigerian government to stop using the courts and media as tools of political persecution.
“Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done,” the group concluded.
