Kanu’s Conviction Injustice Against Igbos, Group Says

A group under the umbrella of the Igbo National Council (INC) has condemned the conviction of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, for terrorism.

In a press statement by its National President, Chilos Godsent, the group described the judgement as an unmerited conviction.

It said the life imprisonment handed down to Kanu reflects the continuation of a coordinated ethnic war against the Igbo people in Nigeria.

The INC appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grant Kanu a pardon.

The group stated that it has carefully analyzed the circumstances surrounding the sentencing and expressed profound concern that the judgement reflects a widening ethno-political conflict targeting the Igbo race.

“INC therefore challenges the Nigerian Judiciary to also prosecute the Boko Haram and ISWAP militias that have continued to terrorize and kill Nigerians with reckless impunity,” the group said.

“This judgement is seen as politically motivated. Consequent upon the above, we call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly intervene and grant Mazi Nnamdi Kanu a presidential pardon in order to reduce rising tension in the South East Region of Nigeria,” the release added.

Kanu, was convicted by Justice Emeka Omotosho of the Federal High Court for terrorism and acts intended to destabilize the Nigerian state.

H was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment and transfered to a correctional centre in Sokoto state.