IPOB BLASTS KANU TRIAL, LABELS IT JUDICIAL TERRORISM
With Nnamdi Kanu scheduled to appear in court on April 29, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have issued a renewed warning to the Nigerian government and judiciary, condemning the trial as a constitutional travesty and an international legal violation. In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group accused the government of continuing a “judicial charade” rooted in the unlawful rendition of Kanu from Kenya in 2021.
IPOB argues that Kanu’s forcible transfer violated multiple international treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the UN Convention Against Torture. The group insists that such a rendition, conducted without legal process, amounts to state-sponsored kidnapping and, under Nigerian law, could qualify as an act of terrorism.
They cited previous rulings, including a 2021 ECOWAS Court decision and a 2022 Court of Appeal ruling, which supported Kanu’s release, yet were ignored by Nigerian authorities. “When the judiciary proceeds in defiance of its own laws, the court becomes complicit in oppression,” IPOB stated, warning judges to consider the long-term implications of their rulings.
Reaffirming its commitment to nonviolent advocacy for Biafran self-determination, IPOB said it would continue to pursue Kanu’s release and challenged civil society and international human rights organizations to denounce what it termed “judicial terrorism.”
