Maxwell Opara, human rights lawyer for Nnamdi Kanu, has strongly denounced the life imprisonment sentence handed to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, calling it the “highest injustice in the entire world.”
Speaking in a live interview on Arise Television, Opara declared that Kanu, who was convicted on all seven counts of terrorism by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, is not a terrorist but a political prisoner. He urged Nigerians of conscience to rally behind efforts to overturn the ruling on appeal.
“The people of the Southeast know that Nnamdi Kanu is not a criminal, he’s not a terrorist,” Opara said. “As of yesterday, when the judgment was given, delegates in the United States raised this issue — highlighting how unjustly he’s been treated in Nigeria.”
Opara added that some of the most powerful figures abroad are watching closely, and appealed to the Court of Appeal to set aside the verdict. He lamented that Kanu was attacked in his own home, with the government allegedly killing dozens of people in the process. “He was in his house enjoying himself… the Federal Government went to his house unprovoked and killed 38 persons,” Opara claimed.
He portrayed the trial as part of a broader persecution of the Igbo people. “This is a war against Igbos. The Igbos are on trial,” he told journalists in earlier remarks.
Opara also criticized what he described as selective enforcement of court orders. He said IPOB’s supporters never saw a legitimate court mandate banning protests for Kanu’s release, calling the government’s refusal to honor favorable judgments a double standard.
On Thursday, Justice Omotosho sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on four of the counts, with additional concurrent terms (20 years on one count, 5 years on another).
The judge declined to impose the death penalty — requested by prosecutors — citing a biblical injunction to temper justice with mercy, as well as global condemnation of capital punishment.
Opara’s reaction highlights the deep divisions over Kanu’s trial and sentence. His comments add to a chorus of criticism — including from IPOB itself, which rejected the legitimacy of the charges and insisted that its leader committed no crimes under domestic or international law.
The legal team has vowed to challenge the ruling. As Opara put it, “well-meaning Nigerians” must intervene, and the Court of Appeal has been called on to correct what he describes as a historic miscarriage of justice.
Background:
Nnamdi Kanu, founder of the proscribed IPOB, was convicted on terrorism-related charges including incitement, bomb-making instructions, and issuing stay-at-home orders.
He was controversially extradited from Kenya in 2021.
Kanu has 90 days to file an appeal.
