Activist Omoyele Sowore has issued a strong call for an immediate end to the terrorism trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is set to resume today at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Sowore described the hearing as “today’s proceeding” that “represents Nigeria’s best opportunity to end the charade once and for all.”
In a statement, Sowore condemned the legal process as a “so-called terrorism trial” and a “sham… built on politics, prejudice, and suppression.” He anchored his criticism on the “illegal and extraordinary rendition” of Kanu from Kenya, which initiated the current phase of the proceedings.
“For years, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been subjected to a sham trial,” Sowore stated, warning that “every day this continues, it deepens Nigeria’s crisis of justice and erodes what remains of faith in the rule of law.”
Sowore presented two immediate paths to terminate the case. He urged the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to use the time remaining today “to do the right thing” by filing a nolle prosequi, a formal motion to discontinue the prosecution. He added that the AGF should “acknowledge that this case should never have been brought in the first place.”
Simultaneously, Sowore appealed directly to the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, stating the justice “has the rare chance to make history by standing on the side of truth, fairness, and humanity, and by tossing out this case entirely.”
According to Sowore, ending the trial would “restore ‘some’ dignity to Nigeria’s justice system” and “save the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration from further embarrassment.” He concluded that such a move would give “Nigeria a chance to finally move beyond a disgraceful chapter that has dragged on for far too long.”
