A fiery war of words has erupted between a legal practitioner, Barrister Christopher Chidera, and The Nation Newspaper, following the publication of an article titled “The Nnamdi Kanu Affair” by an anonymous columnist under the pseudonym Palladium.
In a strongly worded public rebuttal released on Sunday, Chidera accused the newspaper of running what he described as a “propaganda campaign” against the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, alleging that the publication had “become the public relations wing of Nigeria’s authoritarian elite.”
Chidera faulted The Nation for what he called a deliberate attempt to malign Kanu’s image, describing the piece as “a hate letter to truth, decency, and the Igbo conscience.”
He said, “They call Kanu delusional and megalomaniacal, yet they ignore the fact that the man was kidnapped in Kenya, tortured, and illegally returned to Nigeria. They talk about militias without producing one shred of evidence.”
The Abuja-based lawyer accused the newspaper of being “intimidated by Kanu’s resilience,” claiming that the columnist’s tone reflected fear and insecurity.
“Despite years in detention, Kanu still speaks with courage and conviction. That frightens them. They have used the DSS, biased judges, and endless adjournments, yet his spirit refuses to bow,” he wrote.
Chidera took direct aim at the article’s author, Palladium, describing him as “a frustrated propagandist” and not a journalist.
He questioned the columnist’s legal understanding, saying, “If Palladium ever opened a law book, he’d know that a trial founded on illegality is void from day one. But he prefers emotional tantrums to constitutional reasoning.”
Accusing The Nation of turning its editorial pages into “a toxic courtroom,” Chidera condemned what he called an attempt to influence judicial proceedings through biased commentary.
“They tell courts not to let Kanu drive his own defence. That’s not journalism; that’s an open call for judicial misconduct,” he argued, stressing that fairness must remain the foundation of responsible media practice.
Chidera alleged that the newspaper’s hostility stemmed from fear of Kanu’s defiance and its implications for Nigeria’s image.
“They fear that every word Kanu speaks exposes the falsehood of Nigeria’s democracy,” he said. “History will remember who stood for justice and who wrote lies to please power.”
In conclusion, the lawyer urged the paper’s editors and anonymous columnist to “look in the mirror” before calling Kanu names.
“You call him delusional, yet he’s standing in court quoting laws you refuse to read. You call him dangerous, yet he’s defending the Constitution you’ve sold to advertisers. That’s not delusion — that’s courage,” he declared.
He warned that history would judge harshly those who use journalism as a tool of oppression, writing: “The court of conscience will still sit when the courts of men are silent.”
The Nation is yet to respond to Chidera’s statement as of the time of filing this report.