Nnamdi Kanu’s Conviction: Sober Reactions From IPOB Faithful In Enugu

The sentencing of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment by an Abuja Federal High Court precided over by Justice Mike Omoyosho on Thursday has generated reactions from some IPOB faithful in Enugu.

Some of them that spoke with THE WHISTLER said the judgement was biased.

“From the very beginning I knew that Kanu would not get fair judgement,” Osmond, residing at Ugwuaji, said. “It’s all about the Igbo factor. Agitators from other regions of the country are moving freely. The likes of Asari Dokubo is even verbally abusing Kanu. Sunday Igboho is a free man. I don’t want to talk about the open engagement of the militants by governments in the North. Let’s hope the Igbo would learn their lessons soon. We are vulnerable.”

Chekwube Ossai is a disciple of Kanu. He said, “I didn’t sleep all through last night. The judgement was premeditated. Even if Kanu had not sacked his lawyers, nothing would have changed his fate. He is a freedom fighter, and would remain so. Everybody agrees that Ndigbo are being marginalised. While most Igbo leaders choose to be mute, Kanu, probably the only vocal Igbo agitator, was hunted down to Kenya where he was arrested. His co-fighter, Simon Ekpa, is also facing trial. It is a case of ethnic isolation, but nobody knows tomorrow.”

Richard Odo, a social worker, said, “They want to use Kanu as a political scapegoat. They will release him when the 2027 general election closes in. His conviction is to make him understand the gravity of his offence, and for him to value a state pardon. Afterward, he would be answerable to them. That is taming.”

A chieftain of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, who refused to be mentioned, however, blamed Kanu for not listening to advice.

He said, “Ohanaeze many times advised him to fight for the Igbo emancipation through negotiation and diplomacy. Even Biafran warlord Emeka Ojukwu once said another war is not necessary, that we should learn from the first one. Kanu never agreed. I remember a former Ohanaeze president general telling him that his actions would be counterproductive. Kanu later branded him an enemy of Igbo.

“In as much as Kanu’s fight was justified, he went too far. He invariably played into the hands of his enemies, and they capitalised on that to hound him. I expect the appeal to expose some areas that many believe would be in his favour. Many Igbo politicians are more comfortable with Kanu in jail because of his popularity.”

For Samson Asogwa, “IPOB is a movement. Kanu in prison or not, the spirit will never die. It was at a time hijacked by miscreants, and the court used it against Kanu who even condemned criminalisation of IPOB while in detention.”

A lawyer, Aja N Aja, however, blamed Kanu for opting to defend himself.

In his words, “If you are a lawyer, you would know that defending a criminal matter is less onerous than a civil one. This is because the odds are constitutionally stacked against the prosecution. The case against your client has to be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

“It was a tragedy of sorts when Kanu dismissed his team of lawyers, even though I still had some grains of reservation concerning some members of his defence team. He lost legal direction and the outcome became fairly predictable. I am of the view that he has an underlying personality issue or issues. He is a demagogue no doubt but his very feisty attempts to thrust himself into the limelight at every given opportunity is suggestive of a megalomaniac.

“He probably believes that the trial would give him the platform to project himself into global consciousness, and he acted this out in and out of court. But he overshot his own runway. He took up a responsibility he was not trained for. Even on a day that he should ordinarily be sober, he turned it into a fiery personal apotheosis, disclaiming the very authority that would determine his fate.”