Fresh controversy has trailed the trial of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as his legal team released a detailed report accusing Nigeria’s judiciary of multiple infractions, including violation of constitutional rights, disobedience of court orders, and reliance on repealed laws.

In the statement signed by Onyedikachi Ifedi Esq., Consultant to the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Global Defence Consortium, the judiciary was accused of “weaponising justice against the innocent by legalising manifest injustice.”

The legal team highlighted seven major judicial breaches in Kanu’s ongoing trial:

  1. Unlawful Jurisdiction After Rendition – They argued that Kanu’s abduction from Kenya and “extraordinary rendition” to Nigeria violated international law and the African Charter, yet the courts assumed jurisdiction.

  2. Use of Repealed Laws – Charges were based on the 2013 Terrorism Prevention Act, which was repealed in 2022, contrary to constitutional provisions that bar conviction under non-existent laws.

  3. Denial of Fair Hearing – His lawyers alleged that the DSS and the trial court denied him access to documents and counsel, while also conducting secret trials in breach of the Constitution.

  4. Disobedience of Appeal Court Judgment – They recalled the Court of Appeal ruling of October 2022, which prohibited Kanu’s detention and prosecution due to the illegal rendition, a judgment that was allegedly ignored.

  5. Endorsement of Extraordinary Rendition – According to them, Nigerian courts violated international law by proceeding with trial despite the illegal abduction.

  6. Procedural Abuses – The prosecution allegedly filed endless amendments to charges and presented witnesses accused of perjury, with no sanctions from the court.

  7. Failure to Uphold Constitutional Supremacy – The statement accused the judiciary of bowing to executive pressure and abandoning its role as the “last hope of the common man.”

Quoting the Bible, the report compared the judiciary to a “throne of iniquity” framing mischief by law, insisting that the catalogue of infractions showed “illegality, injustice, and impunity” against Kanu.

The defence team concluded that unless these breaches are corrected, Nigeria’s justice system risks total erosion of public confidence.