IPOB Accuses Justice Omotosho of Corruption, Bribery, and Bias in Life Sentence Ruling Against Nnamdi Kanu

IPOB Accuses Justice Omotosho of Corruption, Bribery, and Bias in Life Sentence Ruling Against Nnamdi Kanu The Indigenous People of Biafra (...

IPOB Accuses Justice Omotosho of Corruption, Bribery, and Bias in Life Sentence Ruling Against Nnamdi Kanu

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a scathing press statement alleging that Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court was influenced by financial inducements and the promise of promotion to the Court of Appeal when he handed down what the group calls an “unjust life sentence” against its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In the statement signed by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the Self-determination organization claimed it received credible information from an anonymous source that Justice Omotosho’s ruling was “tainted by money and the promotions promised” to him by interests within the Nigerian government.

“Justice James Omotosho and the prosecuting counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, assumed the role of prosecuting counsels and approached the case personally,” the statement read. “This serves as evidence that they were pressured by those in authority to silence Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”

IPOB further alleged that throughout the trial, Kanu repeatedly challenged the court to cite the specific written law under which he was being prosecuted, but neither the judge nor the prosecution ever produced it. The group insists the life sentence was based on “a nullified law that is foreign to the Nigerian constitution” and on “rumours and radio reports” rather than admissible evidence.

The pro-Biafra movement maintained that neither Kanu nor IPOB has violated any Nigerian or international law in their pursuit of self-determination, describing the verdict as a dangerous precedent that effectively legalizes abduction, extraordinary rendition, and the use of abolished or non-existent laws in Nigerian courts.

“This unlawful ruling by the dishonest Justice Omotosho will eternally be remembered as an example of court process abuse,” the statement continued, warning that if the judgment is upheld, the Nigerian state would have granted itself unchecked powers to kidnap citizens abroad and prosecute them under obsolete statutes.

IPOB drew parallels with the 2022 Appeal Court ruling that discharged and acquitted Kanu, claiming judges who later overturned that decision at the Supreme Court were subsequently elevated as a reward. The group cited the same alleged pattern in Justice Omotosho’s promotion to the Court of Appeal.

The organization called on the Nigerian Judicial Council, the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the international community to investigate what it described as Justice Omotosho’s “open bias” and refusal to identify the law used to convict Kanu. IPOB said it is prepared to present evidence of judicial misconduct during any probe.

The statement ended with a reference to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s past description of certain countries as “shithole countries,” implying that judicial practices exemplified by Justice Omotosho are the reason Nigeria has earned international disrepute.

As of the time of this report, neither Justice James Omotosho, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, nor the Federal Ministry of Justice has issued an official response to IPOB’s allegations.

The case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was abducted and renditioned from Kenya in June 2021, remains one of the most politically charged trials in Nigeria, with local and international viewing him as a political prisoner.

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