Former legal adviser to Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, says no level of legal firepower could have prevented the conviction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, insisting the outcome was inevitable long before the ruling. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, he argued that the verdict reflected a broader system intent on securing a conviction.
Ejimakor acknowledged the court’s authority but maintained that the evidence presented failed to prove that Kanu’s broadcasts directly triggered violent attacks in the South-East. He questioned the basis for the ruling, noting that unrest in the region has persisted even in Kanu’s absence from public communication.
Drawing parallels with historic political trials, Ejimakor likened Kanu’s case to the prosecutions of Nelson Mandela, Obafemi Awolowo and even biblical figures. He suggested that, like those moments in history, the state had already formed a conclusion before judicial proceedings began.
His comments come days after Justice James Omotosho sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on seven terrorism-related charges, ruling that his broadcasts incited attacks on security forces and critical infrastructure. The court also ordered the forfeiture of Kanu’s transmitter and directed that he be held in a secure facility with no digital access.
Kanu’s legal team has rejected the ruling as excessive and signalled plans to appeal. They also criticised his transfer to Sokoto Custodial Centre, saying it further isolates him from his family and lawyers, complicating his defence.
The IPOB leader, first arrested in 2015, fled the country after a 2017 military operation at his residence. He was re-arrested in 2021 in Kenya under disputed circumstances, a move his lawyers still describe as extraordinary rendition.
Ejimakor maintained that the trajectory of Kanu’s case had been sealed from the moment of his capture. “It was palpable that the system was determined to see him convicted,” he said. “One million lawyers wouldn’t have changed that.”
