Former Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has criticised the Federal Government over the life sentence handed to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, describing the verdict as “long anticipated” and evidence that justice in Nigeria does not favour the South-East.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his media adviser, Uchenna Awom, the senator representing Abia South said the ruling did not come as a surprise to the Igbo nation or “other right-thinking Nigerians.”
Abaribe argued that the government’s earlier refusal to consider pleas for amnesty for Kanu similar to concessions granted to Niger Delta militants and to terror suspects in the North was a clear indication of the outcome that eventually played out in court.
“At the time the Federal Government refused to factor in pleadings to extend amnesty to Nnamdi Kanu as done to others, we knew that today’s outcome was imminent,” he said.
He further described the treatment of Kanu as reflective of “unequal justice,” questioning why peace deals and negotiations have been initiated with terror groups in the North-East and North-West, while the South-East faces a different standard.
“This is to say that justice in Nigeria is not for the South-East,” he added.
Abaribe appealed for calm across the region, stressing that the next move rests with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“So we are not surprised. Our people can only endure and hope for a time justice in Nigeria would become the sine qua non,” he said. “We ask the Igbo nation and other lovers of Nigeria to remain calm, pray, and not take the law into their hands.”
His reaction came hours after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment after finding him guilty on all seven terrorism-related charges before the court. The judge ruled that a death sentence was inappropriate due to global concerns and ordered that Kanu be held in a secure facility outside Kuje Correctional Centre.
Prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), welcomed the verdict, saying it reinforced the principle that “no one is above the country’s laws.”
“Let it be a warning to those who may think they are bigger than Nigeria,” he said. “The law will take its course to deal with miscreants, terrorists, and criminals.”
Awomolo commended the judiciary for “saving the country from the influence of the proscribed group,” noting that the judgment aligned with the President’s position that the judicial system continues to steer the nation through difficult times.
Justice Omotosho imposed life imprisonment on counts one, two, four, five and six; 20 years without an option of fine on count three; and five years without an option of fine on count seven, with all sentences running concurrently.
