The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly criticized the Guardian newspaper over a commentary on its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing the publication as “ignorant, compromised, and shallow.”

In a press statement issued on Saturday, September 20, 2025, and signed by IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful, the group expressed outrage at the article titled “Nnamdi Kanu and the drama foretold” written by Emeka Nwokedi and published on September 19.

IPOB argued that the piece was a “tragic reminder of how far Nigerian journalism has sunk,” accusing the Guardian of peddling propaganda instead of informed legal analysis.

Repealed Law Argument

The group faulted the columnist’s legal assertions, stressing that no accused person can be tried under a repealed law. It noted that the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013 had been replaced by the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.

“A repealed law ceases to exist. Any charge sustained on the basis of the repealed 2013 Act is dead on arrival,” the statement read.

IPOB further dismissed references to the Supreme Court’s position on the matter, insisting that “a judgment given per incuriam cannot breathe life into a dead statute.”

Kanu’s Health Concerns

The group also condemned what it described as the columnist’s “cruelty” in dismissing Nnamdi Kanu’s health challenges as propaganda.

“If nothing was wrong with him, why has his blood been drawn more than fifty times? Why was his blood sample flown to South Africa for specialized analysis? Why is he experiencing multiple organ distress?” IPOB queried, warning against trivializing his condition.

Criticism of the Media

Accusing the Guardian of abandoning journalistic ethics, IPOB said the paper had “lent its pages to government-sponsored ignorance and mischief.”

“It is a scandal that a once-respected newspaper like the Guardian would publish such junk without subjecting it to legal vetting,” the statement added.

Larger Implications

The group maintained that Kanu’s case was exposing deep flaws in Nigeria’s judicial system and would “change the judiciary in Nigeria forever.”

“Those hoping that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu can be convicted under a repealed law backed by an ex parte civil order are wasting their time. They have failed woefully,” IPOB declared.

The group concluded by warning that “history will record that Nnamdi Kanu was persecuted with a repealed law while gravely ill in DSS custody,” adding that Nigeria’s judiciary and media risk becoming “a global joke.”