The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has rejected recent commentaries on the ongoing trial of its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing them as “illiterate and compromised.”
In a statement issued on September 19, 2025, and signed by IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group said the trial of Kanu is fatally flawed because it is based on a repealed law.
“Mr. Nwokedi, and indeed the Guardian editorial board, ought to know the ABC of statutory interpretation: a repealed law ceases to exist,” the statement said.
“Section 6(1) of the Interpretation Act makes it clear that repeal obliterates the law from the statute book as though it never existed, except for accrued rights expressly saved.
“No accused person can be validly tried under a repealed law. The Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013 was repealed by the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022. Any charge sustained on the basis of the repealed 2013 Act is dead on arrival.”
The group further maintained that judicial approval or recognition cannot validate what it described as a void legal process.
“Citing the so-called ‘nod’ of the Supreme Court does not cure illegality. A judgment given per incuriam cannot breathe life into a dead statute.
“The world now knows that Nigeria’s judiciary, especially the Abuja Division, has become a circus where judges attempt to manufacture jurisdiction over void charges.”
IPOB also raised concerns over Kanu’s deteriorating health condition. According to the statement, dismissing the issue as propaganda is “not only inhuman but wicked.”
“The Guardian’s columnist further exposed his ignorance and cruelty by dismissing Kanu’s deteriorating health as a ‘propaganda tool.’
“If nothing was wrong with him, why has his blood been drawn more than fifty (50) times? Why was his blood sample flown to South Africa for specialized analysis?
“Why is he experiencing multiple organ distress? To trivialize such a dire medical condition is not only inhuman but wicked,” IPOB said.
The group criticized sections of the media for allegedly lending themselves to “government-sponsored ignorance and mischief.”
“It is a scandal that a once-respected newspaper like the Guardian would publish such junk without subjecting it to legal vetting.
“Instead of upholding journalistic ethics, they have chosen to lend their pages to government-sponsored ignorance and mischief.
“This is why IPOB maintains that Nigeria is sliding into a lawless abyss—because the supposed watchdogs of democracy have become lapdogs of tyranny.”
On the broader implications of Kanu’s trial, IPOB declared that attempts to secure a conviction would ultimately fail.
“Those hoping that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu can be convicted under a repealed law backed by an ex parte civil order are wasting their time.
“They have failed woefully. The case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is already opening the eyes of millions, once legally illiterate, to the perversions going on in Nigerian courts. This case will change the judiciary in Nigeria forever.”
The statement concluded by describing the criticisms of Kanu as “ill thought out propaganda” and reiterated that the world is paying attention to his trial.
“Emeka Nwokedi’s scribble is not journalism; it is ill thought out propaganda. The Guardian’s complicity in publishing such ignorant trash only confirms IPOB’s long-standing position: Nigerian institutions—judiciary, media, and executive—are united in persecution, not prosecution.
“But let it be known: the world is watching, and history will record that Nnamdi Kanu was persecuted with a repealed law while gravely ill in DSS custody. Nigeria’s judiciary, and those who defend its absurdities, will forever remain a global joke.”
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has rejected recent commentaries on the ongoing trial of its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing them as “illiterate and compromised.
In a statement issued on September 19, 2025, and signed by IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group said the trial of Kanu is fatally flawed because it is based on a repealed law.
“Mr. Nwokedi, and indeed the Guardian editorial board, ought to know the ABC of statutory interpretation: a repealed law ceases to exist,” the statement said.
“Section 6(1) of the Interpretation Act makes it clear that repeal obliterates the law from the statute book as though it never existed, except for accrued rights expressly saved.
“No accused person can be validly tried under a repealed law. The Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013 was repealed by the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022. Any charge sustained on the basis of the repealed 2013 Act is dead on arrival.”
The group further maintained that judicial approval or recognition cannot validate what it described as a void legal process.
“Citing the so-called ‘nod’ of the Supreme Court does not cure illegality. A judgment given per incuriam cannot breathe life into a dead statute.
“The world now knows that Nigeria’s judiciary, especially the Abuja Division, has become a circus where judges attempt to manufacture jurisdiction over void charges.”
IPOB also raised concerns over Kanu’s deteriorating health condition. According to the statement, dismissing the issue as propaganda is “not only inhuman but wicked.”
“The Guardian’s columnist further exposed his ignorance and cruelty by dismissing Kanu’s deteriorating health as a ‘propaganda tool.’
“If nothing was wrong with him, why has his blood been drawn more than fifty (50) times? Why was his blood sample flown to South Africa for specialized analysis?
“Why is he experiencing multiple organ distress? To trivialize such a dire medical condition is not only inhuman but wicked,” IPOB said.
The group criticized sections of the media for allegedly lending themselves to “government-sponsored ignorance and mischief.”
“It is a scandal that a once-respected newspaper like the Guardian would publish such junk without subjecting it to legal vetting.
“Instead of upholding journalistic ethics, they have chosen to lend their pages to government-sponsored ignorance and mischief.
“This is why IPOB maintains that Nigeria is sliding into a lawless abyss—because the supposed watchdogs of democracy have become lapdogs of tyranny.”
On the broader implications of Kanu’s trial, IPOB declared that attempts to secure a conviction would ultimately fail.
“Those hoping that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu can be convicted under a repealed law backed by an ex parte civil order are wasting their time.
“They have failed woefully. The case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is already opening the eyes of millions, once legally illiterate, to the perversions going on in Nigerian courts. This case will change the judiciary in Nigeria forever.”
The statement concluded by describing the criticisms of Kanu as “ill thought out propaganda” and reiterated that the world is paying attention to his trial.
“Emeka Nwokedi’s scribble is not journalism; it is ill thought out propaganda. The Guardian’s complicity in publishing such ignorant trash only confirms IPOB’s long-standing position: Nigerian institutions—judiciary, media, and executive—are united in persecution, not prosecution.
“But let it be known: the world is watching, and history will record that Nnamdi Kanu was persecuted with a repealed law while gravely ill in DSS custody. Nigeria’s judiciary, and those who defend its absurdities, will forever remain a global joke.”
