The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has made a bold and defiant declaration, stating that he would rather spend the rest of his life in detention than be subjected to trial by what he describes as a corrupt and biased court.
In a strongly worded open letter to the public, personally signed from his detention at the Department of State Services (DSS) and made available by his Special Counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu vowed that he would not participate in a judicial process that lacks constitutional legitimacy.
> “If it will take the rest of my life in detention to produce me before a proper and impartial court, so be it,” he declared.
Kanu accused the Nigerian government and judiciary of engaging in what he termed “serial executive and judicial fraud” since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021.
He recalled a 2017 ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which affirmed that IPOB was not an unlawful group. However, rather than appealing the decision as required by law, Kanu alleged that the then Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami, and the late Abba Kyari orchestrated IPOB’s proscription in a secret ex parte proceeding—a move he described as an unholy and fraudulent alliance between the government and judiciary.
Kanu highlighted several judicial decisions in his favor that the Nigerian government has blatantly ignored, including:
An October 26, 2022 ruling by a Federal High Court that declared his extraordinary rendition and detention unconstitutional and ordered the government to apologize and pay him compensation.
An October 13, 2022 ruling by the Court of Appeal, which ruled that his abduction from Kenya violated international and Nigerian laws, rendering any trial against him null and void.
Despite these decisions, Kanu lamented that the government refused to release him, instead manipulating the judiciary to stall justice.
“It went behind closed doors and connived with three other justices of the Court of Appeal, who fraudulently and swiftly sat on appeal over the judgment and practically destroyed it by issuing what they termed ‘a stay of execution,’” he stated.
Supreme Court Verdict Ignored, Bail Revocation Declared Unlawful
Kanu also pointed to the Supreme Court’s December 15, 2023 decision, which:
Sent his case back to the Federal High Court for trial.
Declared that his bail revocation was unlawful and that the presiding judge exhibited “significant and unacceptable bias”.
However, Kanu noted that the High Court failed to restore his bail, a move he believes was part of a deliberate plot to keep him in detention and force him into an unfair trial.
> “In a sane society, the High Court would have been duty-bound to restore my bail in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling, but that did not happen,” he said.
Kanu Rejects Trial Under Biased Judge
Kanu revealed that on September 24, 2024, he made the final decision to reject any trial under the current judicial setup.
He recounted how the judge handling his case:
Sent him to DSS detention without a fair hearing in 2021.
Refused to transfer him to a regular prison, making it difficult for him to prepare for trial.
Denied his bail restoration, despite the Supreme Court ruling in his favor.
> “These are the major reasons that compelled me to request the judge’s recusal. Having consented, she removed herself from my case. That order remains valid, yet my case was reassigned to the same recused judge. Why?” he questioned.
Kanu accused the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of conniving with the federal government to ensure that his case is deliberately shielded from impartial judges.
> “The issue is not that there are no honest judges in Nigeria. Instead, my case is being deliberately kept away from those who would deliver fair and even-handed justice—even if it means the federal government must lose,” he asserted.
Concluding his letter, Kanu made it unequivocally clear that he will not submit to any trial that lacks legitimacy and fairness.
> “I will not succumb to any trial conducted by any judge or court whose jurisdiction does not pass constitutional muster. Not now, not ever.”
His words set the stage for yet another dramatic legal and political battle between IPOB’s embattled leader and the Nigerian government, as the world watches how the country’s judicial system handles a case that has already sparked national and international controversy.
PIONEER NEWS 