Sowore: Tinubu Govt, Judiciary Plan to Jail or Kill Nnamdi Kanu

Former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has entered into a secret agreement with the judiciary to ensure that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is either sentenced to death or life imprisonment.

In a statement on Wednesday, Sowore claimed that the supposed outcome of Kanu’s trial had already been decided through a top-level political conspiracy, while the ongoing court proceedings were merely a formality to legitimise the prearranged verdict.

“For the avoidance of doubt and to alert the public, it has become clear that a secret decision has long been reached within the Tinubu regime regarding the fate of Nnamdi Kanu. The plan, devised through a high-level political conspiracy, is to either sentence him to death or condemn him to life imprisonment. This outcome, predetermined far in advance, is now being dressed up in the guise of judicial procedure,” Sowore said.

He further alleged that Justice Omotosho, who is presiding over Kanu’s case, might interpret the IPOB leader’s refusal to open his defence as an admission of guilt, describing it as a “convenient interpretation designed to seal a verdict already agreed upon behind closed doors.”

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According to Sowore, such a move would serve to justify a ruling that had already been decided long before the trial began.

The activist warned that the anticipated ruling—expected in November—could mirror one of Nigeria’s darkest moments, drawing a historical parallel to the 1995 execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activistsunder the military regime of General Sani Abacha.

“It was in November 1995 that the military tribunal of General Sani Abacha sentenced Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists to death—a sentence carried out with ruthless precision.

Today, three decades later, Nigeria appears to be standing at the same moral crossroads. Only the year has changed—this is 2025, not 1995—but the machinery of repression grinds on. The trial of Nnamdi Kanu has ceased to be about justice; it is now a test of conscience for the Nigerian state and its citizens alike,” Sowore added.

Sowore emphasized that Kanu’s case was no longer a matter of law but a moral and constitutional test for Nigeria’s democracy.

Earlier, Voice of the People (VOP) reported that Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, gave Kanu until Wednesday, November 5, to open his defence in the terrorism case filed against him or forfeit his right to do so.

The directive came after Kanu, for the fourth consecutive hearing, refused to begin his defence following the prosecution’s closure of its case and the court’s earlier dismissal of his no-case submission.

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Justice Omotosho warned that if Kanu failed to open his defence on the next hearing date, he would be deemed to have voluntarily waived his right.

The court had previously adjourned the matter on October 27 to November 4, for Kanu to either file his final written address or proceed with his defence.

At the resumed sitting on Tuesday, Kanu, who is representing himself, told the court that he had not filed any final written address but had instead submitted a motion and supporting affidavit.

He maintained that there was no valid or existing charge against him under any known law, and therefore refused to present any defence, demanding his immediate release.

In his ruling, Justice Omotosho accepted Kanu’s recent filings as properly submitted and said they would be considered during judgment. The judge also acknowledged that since Kanu is not a lawyer, he should be allowed time to seek legal advice and obtain assistance.

The case was adjourned to November 5 for Kanu to either open his defence or be considered to have forfeited his right to do so.