Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has described his client as a victim of what he called “prosecutorial overkill” by the Nigerian government.
Ejimakor, in a post on X, alleged that the judiciary was misled into allowing what he described as excessive prosecution of the separatist leader.
He maintained that the central issue in Kanu’s case had always been his agitation for the creation of Biafra, rather than allegations of terrorism or treason.
“From day one, the bone of contention wasn’t terrorism or treason, but agitation for a separate state,” Ejimakor said.
He explained that Kanu’s position had consistently been that Biafra agitation was a response to what he considered unequal treatment of some Nigerians.
According to him, Kanu had argued that if Nigerians could not be treated equally, those seeking separation should be allowed to pursue a separate state.
“MNK is a victim of prosecutorial overkill by the State and the judiciary was hoodwinked. What remains is the fix, and it shall come, sooner than later,” he added.
Kanu was first arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015, by the Department of State Services (DSS) over his activities with Radio Biafra and allegations bordering on treasonable felony.
He was subsequently arraigned before an Abuja Magistrate Court in November 2015 before his case moved to the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Binta Nyako granted Kanu bail on health grounds on April 28, 2017. He later left Nigeria following a military raid on his home in Abia State, after which his bail was revoked.
Kanu was arrested in Kenya on June 26, 2021, and returned to Nigeria in a controversial rendition. He was initially detained by the DSS before being rearraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Following years of legal proceedings over his activities and agitation for the actualisation of Biafra, Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20, 2025.
