The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has demanded the immediate release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, accusing Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja of handing down a politically motivated conviction.
Gatekeepers News reports that the group claims the judgment lacked sufficient evidence and served political interests within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement issued Thursday, Emma Powerful, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, described the conviction as a miscarriage of justice and alleged that Kanu’s transfer to Sokoto was intended to make legal representation and appeal nearly impossible.
“Justice Omotosho convicted Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without proof, without allocutus, and exiled him to Sokoto — fully aware that such a transfer would make access to lawyers, funding of appeal, and effective defence financially prohibitive and practically near impossible,” the statement read.
“This was not justice. It was vendetta dressed in robes.”
IPOB further claimed that the judge acted to satisfy APC political actors, warning that insecurity is now spreading to areas previously considered safe. The group noted that attacks by Fulani terrorists have intensified, affecting villages in Yorubaland.
“While Justice Omotosho busied himself doing the bidding of his APC political masters by jailing an innocent man, the very forces he sought to appease have now carried terror into Yorubaland itself,” the statement said.
The group added that Kanu had repeatedly cautioned that injustice would not spare any ethnic group, religion, or political alliance, saying, “He warned that those who sacrificed truth for ambition would reap the whirlwind. Those warnings are no longer prophecy — they are unfolding reality.”
IPOB also challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to justify Kanu’s continued detention amid the worsening security situation in the country. According to the group, advisers urging the administration to maintain Kanu’s imprisonment are worsening national instability.
“Those advising this administration to continue the unlawful detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu are not defending Nigeria — they are accelerating its collapse. They are ensuring that injustice travels, mutates, and ultimately consumes everyone,” the statement added.
The group insisted that Nigeria will not experience peace until justice is restored, stressing that Kanu’s release is not a concession but a necessity.
IPOB warned that history would judge those responsible for his imprisonment, noting that history is watching and that events are testifying.
Recall that Nnamdi Kanu was convicted last November on terrorism-related charges. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment on counts 1, 4, 5, and 6 of the seven-count charge, 20 years on count 3, and five years on count 7.
This latest statement comes amid continuing national debates over judicial independence, political interference, and the rising insecurity in northern and southern parts of Nigeria.
