By Chineze Emelieze,
In its usual staged attempt to cause confusion and coerce presiding judges into arriving at rulings favourable to it, IPOB has once again resorted to demanding that Justice Kolawole Omotosho must strike out the ongoing charges against Nnamdi Kanu. Ridiculous! They have added that the current charges against Kanu amounted to a resurrection of therepealed Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013. Laughable, right?
In IPOB’s short-sighted insinuation, acts of mass murder committed andcharged by the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013 – repealed in 2022 by the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act (TPPA) 2022 (Section 97) stand forgiven. And as usual, the powerful Emma signed and circulated the comical statement in the hopes that Justice Omotosho could be cowed by it.
This, by the way, is not a first; it is rather the group’s latest gimmick. Given that only days ago, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the federal government for the continuation of trial proceedings, despite IPOB’s cry against what they call an illegal rendition of Kanu from Kenya. For IPOB and this sustained delusion of wanting to cut Kanu loose from terrorism charges, everything is doable. Once Justice appears closer than ever, Kanu and his sympathisers resort to a circus of acts, attempting to insult Nigeria’s jurisprudence.
Akin to precedence, Kanu and his cohorts have also upped their antics from production of fake contents/graphics to spurn narratives in their favour in a bid to maintain leech on their remnant of gullible sympathisers, to adopting despicable levels of disinformation, malicious reports, in addition to outright defamation, to gain leverage in the courts of public opinion.
Eventually, in desperation, they turned to harassing and embarrassing Judges in open Court to coerce or attempt to hoodwink them into letting Kanu go free. However, aside from the conspiracies of terrorism and the litany of terror-related offences against Kanu, there are several acts prejudicial to judicial processes that this group and its leader have contravened. The travails of the members of the Nigerian Judiciary in the course of Kanu’s trial only climaxed with many ignoble accusations. He, Kanu, does this with ease.
In open Court, Kanu called Justice Nyako shameful, disgraceful, and accused her of hobnobbing with lawyers in the AGF’s office and collecting bribes in hundreds of millions. He added that she was only assigned to his case in exchange for freedom for her son and husband from corruption charges. Allegations that he or any member of his legal team is yet to verify. Such antics became so damning for his case that Kanu Agabi, SAN, his latest senior counsel, is said to have counselled Nnamdi Kanu and the other members of his team, to apologise for their misdeeds in Court.
I am beyond certain that Kanu is already preparing a subterfuge against Justice Kolawole Omotosho. Before the endless drift to appealing for reassignment of Judges, even Justice John Tsoho, was not spared Kanu’s ridiculous on the claims suggestive of bias towards his trial. Ask Hon. Justice Haruna Tsammani, who knows quite well that no matter how well-intentioned one is, Nnamdi Kanu and his theatrics will certainly mudslide and defame every iota of sincerity one brings.
Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that despite several contemptuous actions, all he and his cohorts have provoked is at best a slap on the wrist. For instance, in June 2025, Barr. Aloy Ejimakor, after raising a false and reckless alarm on X with allegations that the DSS denied his client’s visitation rights, he, Aloy, got away with a simple warning to either retract the claim or risk being barred from attending future trials. Linda Kanu, despite making videos of court proceedings, which she posted across social media platforms to stir controversy and intimidate Judges, went scot-free. Without charge.
As the 10th October date draws near, it is expedient to caution public vigilance. For IPOB it is always well planned and orchestrated to malign and incite malicious actions, particularly hostile propaganda, against Judges and those on the prosecuting side. It shouldn’t surprise if Kanu begins to feign illness, and begins to spread blackmail that the British government is conspiring with the Nigerian government. These antics are his stock in trade.
However, it should be known that the Supreme Court, in its judgment, held that the manner Kanu was brought back to the country should not be an issue; and therefore, ordered the continuation of Kanu’s trial. Kanu himself once stated in an interview with journalists on 24th September, 2024, that he fully commits to the constitutional provision that any determination made by the Supreme Court is binding and supercedes all rulings on the said subject by any lower Court.
Amnesty International (AI) in its report of 13th August 2025, A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in South -East Nigeria estimates that “between January 2021 and June 2023, about 1,844 people were killed in the South-East region of Nigeria.” The report also cites several attacks on security agents by gunmen, leading to the unlawful killing of security agents and residents. AI further documented several cases of killings in different areas in the South-East by so-called “unknown gunmen,” cult groups, IPOB, and its militant arm, the ESN.
Nnamdi Kanu cannot then absolve himself of bloodletting or innocent lost souls, which by all standards in Nigeria, is a massive case to answer. He might as well show up honourably on 10th October. This time, it’s a call for justice for scores of death and destruction of property caused by MNK in the South East, it is also a test of our dear nations judicial system. No amount of blackmail should sway justice for the slain. The judiciary must stand firm, and rule of law should be top most.
Emelizie writes from Owerri, Imo State
