Tinubu's government propose the prosecution of Nnamdi Kanu on 21st March, 2025.
Barr. Christopher Chidera, a human right lawyer has revealed the Nigerian government's plan to prosecute the leader of The Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) under the repealed Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 on 21st of March, 2025. He also stated that this actions are not legally justifiable.
Barr. Chidera in a meeting at Abuja, controversially emphasised that Kanu's trial can not be on the basis of the revoked 2013 Act.
“Any attempt to prosecute the IPOB leader under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 is legally untenable and procedurally flawed,” - Barr. Chidera stated.
Barr. Chidera also re-emphasized that before taking any steps that could expose the Nigeria's justice system to more systematic flaws, President Tinubu's administration should have a negotiation before 20 March 2025.
“The section of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 on which the prosecution relies is no longer an active law in Nigeria.
“The jurisdiction to prosecute Kanu under this Act ceased with its repeal. Continuing with this prosecution would draw scrutiny and criticism both domestically and internationally,” Chidera added.
Kanu would be representing himself in court on 21st of March 2025, and if care and measures aren't taken, the aftermath could heighten the scrutiny of Nigeria's judicial system.
“Reports that Mazi Kanu will assume his own defence on 21 March 2025 signal a significant shift in this case. His self-representation may reveal inconsistencies and vulnerabilities within Nigeria’s judicial system,” he added.
He stated that the case is a critical test for Nigeria's judicial system, which would have an aftermath effect on the political and legal system.
“This is no ordinary case. It is the most consequential in Nigeria’s history, a crucible in which the judiciary’s credibility will be tested under unprecedented global scrutiny. Ordinary Nigerians, captivated by this drama, await the unraveling of legal arguments and the revelation of which laws the prosecution will twist to sustain its faltering case. Yet, the truth is inescapable: Nigeria cannot win. Convicting Kanu is a legal impossibility and a political miscalculation of historic proportions. His detention, his suffering, and his endurance for the Biafran cause have galvanised a movement that cannot be criminalised or intimidated into silence.”
Barr. Chidera urged Tinubu’s government to rethink the proposed prosecution and seek for a way solidify and resolute with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu before midnight on 20 March 2025
“Political dissent cannot be extinguished by force, and the Biafran struggle will not be subdued by crackdowns or detention without trial,” Chidera emphasised
