OYC Condemns Kanu Life Term as Political and Calls for Appeal

ByFranklin Eke2 days Ago1 Mins read25

The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), youth arm of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, says the life sentence given to Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu is a miscarriage of justice.

In a statement, OYC national president Igboayaka O. Igboayaka said the ruling looks made to please certain political oppressors and profit-seekers, and that it harms trust in Nigeria’s courts.

He called the November 20, 2025 conviction highly inflammatory for Ndigbo and warned it echoes the tensions that led to the 1967–1970 crisis. “The verdict of Justice James Kolawole Omortosho implies that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Indigenous People Of Biafra IPOB, and Ndigbo, are regarded as terrorists,” the statement said.

Igboayaka added that the Igbo are not terrorists and that the true perpetrators are known, a fact he said is clear to the international community, including the United States under the leadership of Donald Trump.

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He challenged the judge directly and asked, “Where is the Law”? ‘Where lies the legal foundation?’ He said the prosecution failed to prove its case against Kanu and Ndigbo.

The OYC accused the judge of delivering a decision written under outside influence and claimed the ruling aims to silence the Igbo by targeting Kanu. The group pointed out that others who used harsh or divisive words, including some politicians and public figures, have not faced similar sentences.

Igboayaka named former President Muhammadu Buhari, El Rufai, and Gumi as examples of people who, in his view, were not treated the same under the law. He warned that the current path risks making the Igbo feel like victims of the justice system.

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The OYC said speaking for self-determination or asking for a referendum does not make someone a terrorist. It urged the Tinubu administration to avoid moves that could push young Igbo to the breaking point, saying any sudden provocation would be met with firm resistance rather than a repeat of past events.

The group insisted the verdict was political and not grounded in law or the constitution. It called on Kanu and his lawyers to use every legal option, including appealing to the Court of Appeal, to overturn what it called a tribal and unfair judgment.