Justice, Not Politics’ Masking Persecution of Nnamdi Kanu — Human Rights Lawyer Alleges

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A human rights lawyer, Barrister Christopher Chidera, has accused the Nigerian government and sections of the media of using the phrase “justice, not politics” as a cover for what he described as the continued political persecution of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In a statement titled “Demolishing the Facade: Why ‘Justice, Not Politics’ Is Really Code for Persecuting Nnamdi Kanu”, Barr. Chidera faulted a recent editorial calling for Kanu’s fate to be left to the courts, describing it as “neither fair nor factual.”

According to him, the editorial conceals government lawlessness, distorts judicial records, and ignores binding court rulings that have already discharged and acquitted Kanu.

> “What it calls ‘justice’ is, in truth, the continuation of a political persecution that has long violated Nigeria’s Constitution and international law,” he stated.

Sit-at-Home Controversy: ‘A False Link to IPOB’

Chidera criticized attempts to link the recurring Monday “sit-at-home” orders in the South-East to Kanu or IPOB, calling the connection “factually wrong and deliberately misleading.”

He noted that the IPOB leadership had officially suspended the exercise years ago and repeatedly condemned its continuation. He added that Kanu himself, through handwritten directives issued from detention in 2023, had ordered an end to any sit-at-home activity, warning that it only hurt the South-East economy and undermined the movement’s objectives.

> “Those still enforcing sit-at-home are criminal opportunists exploiting Kanu’s name to extort and terrorize innocent citizens,” Chidera said.

‘Swift Trial’ or Endless Persecution?

The lawyer further argued that Kanu’s ongoing detention is a violation of due process and constitutional rights.

He recalled that the IPOB leader was “unlawfully abducted and extraordinarily renditioned” from Kenya in June 2021—a process declared illegal by both Kenyan and Nigerian courts.

Citing the October 2022 ruling of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which discharged and acquitted Kanu, Chidera maintained that the judgment remains binding and irreversible.

He criticized the subsequent Supreme Court decision of December 2023, which remitted the case for trial, describing it as per incuriam—a legal term for a judgment made in error.

> “The continued trial before Justice James Omotosho in Abuja has no constitutional basis. It violates Section 36(9) of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits double jeopardy,” he stated.

“Keeping Kanu in detention mocks the rule of law and turns justice into a political instrument.”

Double Standards and Selective Justice

Chidera also condemned what he described as the government’s “selective application of justice,” arguing that violent actors in other regions have been treated with leniency, while peaceful agitators from the South-East face relentless prosecution.

> “Kanu’s offence was speech, not violence,” he emphasized.

“While known terrorists and warlords are granted amnesty and reintegration, only South-Eastern activists face the full weight of state power. This is not justice—it is vengeance disguised as law.”

Call for Obedience to Court Orders

The human rights lawyer stressed that genuine justice requires the government to respect judicial decisions and constitutional safeguards.

> “Every major court that has heard Kanu’s case has affirmed that his rights were violated and that he should be released. The government’s refusal to comply undermines the very rule of law it claims to uphold,” he said.

Chidera therefore called for Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release, insisting that continued detention amounts to “lawbreaking by the state itself.”

‘Justice Must Not Be Political’

He concluded by warning that Nigeria’s credibility before the world depends on its willingness to respect its own laws.

> “When commentators say ‘let justice decide,’ they must first ask whether justice is being allowed to function at all,” he said.

“Until Nigeria obeys its courts and frees Nnamdi Kanu, the cry for justice will remain hollow rhetoric masking political control.”