‘No Lawyer Could Have Changed Kanu’s Conviction’, Says Ex-counsel Ejimakor

Former counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Aloy Ejimakor, has stated that no number of lawyers could have altered the court’s decision convicting him of terrorism.

Ejimakor spoke on Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief ‘programme on Monday, dismissing suggestions that stronger legal representation might have changed the outcome.

“I don’t believe one million lawyers standing behind Nnamdi Kanu would have changed the outcome of the case,” he said.

While acknowledging the court’s authority, Ejimakor argued that the evidence did not clearly linked Kanu’s broadcasts to violence in the South-East.
“The deed is done. I disagree with the conviction, the verdict, and the sentence, but the judge might have believed he had sufficient evidence. I did not see a clear connection between the broadcasts and the violence that claimed many lives. The violence continues today. Is it still the broadcasts?” he asked.

Ejimakor compared Kanu’s trial to historic cases involving public and political figures, highlighting what he called a pattern in politically charged prosecutions.

“The people who brought Jesus before Pontius Pilate had already made up their minds. They refused to release another condemned man and insisted on crucifying Christ. Nelson Mandela was not tied to violence in South Africa, but was convicted anyway. No weapon was found. His personality was considered a threat,” he said.

He also referenced the 1960 Awolowo case, “Awolowo was convicted of attempting to overthrow the government, yet he was a civilian. No evidence showed he had the means or opportunity. So in this very case (Nnamdi Kanu), I am not saying the judge was biased, but it was palpable that the system was determined to see him convicted. It started the day he was seized in Kenya.”
LEADERSHIP recalls that Justice James Omotosho on Thursday convicted Kanu on seven counts of terrorism and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The judge ruled that Kanu’s broadcasts incited attacks on security agencies, destruction of infrastructure, and threats to diplomatic missions.

Justice Omotosho emphasised that Nigeria remains an indivisible state and said self-determination cannot be pursued through violence. He ordered the forfeiture of Kanu’s transmitter and directed that he be held in a secure facility without digital access.

However, Kanu’s lawyers described the sentence as excessive and vowed to appeal.

Ejimakor also confirmed Kanu’s transfer to the Sokoto Custodial Centre, criticising the move for separating him from his family and legal team.

Kanu was first arrested in 2015 but fled after a 2017 military raid on his residence and was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 under disputed circumstances.