Barrister Onyedikachi Ifedi, the Director of Legal Affairs, Research and Global Communications for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has sharply criticized the Nigerian government for its continued prosecution of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Ifedi condemned the trial as a politically motivated and illegitimate process that undermines judicial integrity and violates human rights.
The trial, which resumed in March 2025 under Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court in Abuja, has been widely described by IPOB and its legal team as a “sham” and “conspiracy built on falsehoods.” The government accuses Kanu of terrorism, including issuing unlawful sit-at-home orders and inciting violence against security forces. However, Kanu’s defense has consistently maintained his innocence, with senior advocates highlighting the prosecution’s failure to present credible evidence linking him to any crime.
Ifedi and IPOB have also pointed to the controversial circumstances surrounding Kanu’s arrest in Kenya in 2021 and his subsequent rendition to Nigeria, which a Kenyan court recently declared illegal. Citing international law, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, IPOB insists that the trial should be suspended and ultimately terminated, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction due to the unlawful abduction.
The ongoing trial has drawn significant national and international attention, spotlighting concerns over Nigeria’s judicial independence and the government’s handling of separatist movements. IPOB’s legal team is preparing to file a no-case submission, asserting that the prosecution has failed to establish any evidence of terrorism or criminal conduct by Kanu.
In a statement, IPOB’s spokesperson Emma Powerful described the trial as a “reckless abuse” of judicial processes and called on the global community to take urgent notice of the Nigerian government’s actions. The group insists that the case is an attempt to criminalize the legitimate quest for self-determination and that justice must prevail in accordance with the rule of law.
As the trial continues, all eyes remain on the Federal High Court in Abuja to see whether the judiciary will uphold legal principles or succumb to political pressures in one of Nigeria’s most high-profile and contentious legal battles.