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Aloy Ejimakor, former counsel to the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has said that no number of lawyers—no matter how large—could have altered the court’s decision that led to Kanu’s terrorism conviction.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Ejimakor dismissed claims that stronger or expanded legal representation might have changed the outcome of the case.
“I don’t believe one million lawyers standing behind Nnamdi Kanu would have changed the outcome of the case,” he stated.
While maintaining his disagreement with the judgment, Ejimakor acknowledged the court’s authority. He argued that the evidence presented did not establish a clear link between Kanu’s broadcasts and the violence that occurred in the South-East.
“The deed is done. I disagree with the conviction, the verdict, and the sentence, but the judge might have believed he had sufficient evidence. I did not see a clear connection between the broadcasts and the violence that claimed many lives. The violence continues today. Is it still the broadcasts?” he asked.
Ejimakor also drew parallels between Kanu’s case and historic prosecutions involving political and public figures. He referenced biblical, African, and Nigerian examples to highlight what he described as a pattern of predetermined outcomes in politically charged trials.
He cited the case of Jesus Christ before Pontius Pilate, Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment despite lack of direct evidence linking him to violence, and Obafemi Awolowo’s conviction for treason despite being a civilian with no proven means to carry out a coup.
“I am not saying the judge was biased, but it was palpable that the system was determined to see him convicted. It started the day he was seized in Kenya,” he added.
Recall that on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Nnamdi Kanu on seven counts of terrorism and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
