IPOB Demands Kanu’s Release, Slams Judge for Bias

The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has sharply criticised the conviction and life imprisonment of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, accusing the Federal High Court judge in Abuja of bias and political interference.

In a statement issued on Thursday by Emma Powerful, IPOB’s media and publicity secretary, the group alleged that Justice James Omotosho convicted and sentenced Kanu “without proof, without allocutus,” and transferred him to Sokoto to make access to lawyers and appeals nearly impossible.

“This was not justice. It was vendetta dressed in robes,” the group said, claiming the ruling was driven by political interests within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) rather than law.

IPOB also accused authorities of focusing on Kanu’s detention while insecurity spreads across the country:

“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 group warned that agony gripping communities, including raids and deaths from terror attacks, reflects a failure of justice, insisting that Kanu repeatedly cautioned that injustice would not spare any ethnic or political group.

IPOB went further to challenge President Bola Tinubu to justify Kanu’s continued detention, calling it unlawful and a key factor 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.”

The group emphasised that peace will remain elusive until justice is restored, stating:

“The immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a concession, it is a necessity.”

Kanu was convicted in November 2025 on terrorismrelated charges and handed multiple life sentences by the Federal High Court in Abuja.