The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the youth arm of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has condemned the life imprisonment verdict issued against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, describing it as a grave miscarriage of justice.
In a statement issued on Friday, the National President of OYC, Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, said the ruling appears to serve the interests of “certain political oppressors and profiteers,” adding that it has further damaged public confidence in Nigeria’s judicial system.
Igboayaka said Kanu’s conviction on November 20, 2025, was “extremely provocative to Ndigbo,” comparing the implications of the judgment to events that preceded the 1967–1970 civil war.
“The verdict of Justice James Kolawole Omotosho implies that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Indigenous People of Biafra, and Ndigbo are regarded as terrorists,” he said.
“But we want to inform the government that the Igbo people are not terrorists. It is common knowledge who the real terrorists are, and the world, including the United States under the leadership of Donald Trump, is aware of their identity.”
He added that OYC shares Kanu’s earlier question to the trial judge: “Where is the law? Where lies the legal foundation?” insisting that “the prosecution did not substantiate any claims against Ndigbo or Nnamdi Kanu.”
According to him, the judgment “suggests that Justice Omotosho was carrying out a national assignment to uphold a predetermined decision influenced by the Federal Government and certain British agents or individuals in Nigeria.”
He alleged that the ruling was “orchestrated to silence Ndigbo because of the voice of Nnamdi Kanu,” noting that many known individuals have used inflammatory rhetoric to incite violence, yet have never been prosecuted or convicted.
“The likes of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, El-Rufai, Gumi, and others are protected by the same law that was allegedly used to convict Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” he said.
“Indeed, Ndigbo are potential victims in the Nigerian justice system.”
He also argued that advocating for self-determination or calling for a referendum “does not radicalize anyone into becoming a terrorist,” warning the Federal Government to avoid actions that could push the younger generation of Igbo people “to the limit.”
“The events of 1967–1970 will not be repeated against the Igbo people in this era; rather, any sudden provocation against them will be met with formidable resistance,” he cautioned.
Igboayaka maintained that Kanu’s conviction lacked constitutional backing and was “a politically written judgment designed to victimize Ndigbo through Nnamdi Kanu.”
He urged Kanu and his legal team to pursue every constitutional remedy available, including appealing the verdict at the Court of Appeal.
