ABUJA, Nigeria — Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South, has said the life sentence handed to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, was predictable and reflected a longstanding bias in the country’s justice system.
Abaribe’s reaction came hours after a federal high court in Abuja convicted Kanu of terrorism and sentenced him to life imprisonment on four counts, with additional prison terms on two others, all to run concurrently.
In a statement released on Thursday, November 20, 2025, and signed by his media adviser, Uchenna Awom, the former senate minority leader said the ruling did not come as a surprise.
He described the judgment as the culmination of a “preconceived plot” against the separatist leader.
He argued that the federal government’s refusal to offer amnesty or pursue negotiations with Kanu — despite doing so with other armed groups in the country — made the outcome inevitable.
“Is it not an irony that negotiations and peace deals with rampaging terrorists in the North East and North West were gleefully initiated by local, state and federal authorities, just like the amnesty to ex-militants in the South South, who were rewarded with lucrative oil pipeline contracts,” the statement said.
“This is to say that justice in Nigeria is not for the South East.”
Abaribe said leaders from the region had repeatedly appealed to the government to consider a political solution, but their pleas were ignored.
“We have done our best; we have variously made the case for the authorities to be circumspect and at least accede to pardon for the sake of unity and inclusiveness,” he said.
He urged citizens of the South-East to remain calm and law-abiding, stressing that the region must now place its hope in President Bola Tinubu.
“We ask the Igbo nation and other lovers of Nigeria to remain calm, pray and not take the law into their hands,” he said.
“May Nigeria succeed, thrive and advance in justice, equity and fairness.”
Kanu’s conviction and sentencing have sparked renewed debate over the federal government’s handling of separatist agitation and its differing approaches to armed groups across the country.
The judgment, delivered by Justice James Omotosho, has drawn both support and criticism, with analysts warning of potential political repercussions in the South-East.
The defence team is expected to file an appeal in the coming days.
