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Kanu’s Trial An Effort To Force Conviction In Absence of Law’ – Defence Team
The Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Global Defence Consortium has described the trial of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, leader as a calculated effort to force conviction in the absence of law.
The consortium, a group of lawyers fighting for the freedom of the pro-Biafra agitator, made the claim in a statement signed by Barrister Onyedikachi Ifedi. According to the statement, the Nigerian government prosecution lawyers “engineered a trial without law” in Kanu’s case.
Kanu was on November 20, 2025 sentenced to life imprisonment by an Abuja Federal High Court presided by Justice James Omotosho, following his conviction on terrorism charges. The IPOB leader is currently serving the sentence at the Sokoto Prison.
Kanu’s lawyers have commenced moves to appeal the conviction and in a statement on Saturday, the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Global Defence Consortium faulted the trial, noting that the prosecution did not specify the law on which the IPOB leader was prosecuted and convicted.
“It was a calculated effort to force a conviction to survive the absence of law,” the statement said, highlighting what transpired during the proceedings on November 4, 2025, when Kanu took up his own defence.
“On 4 November 2025, a Nigerian Federal High Court sat in Abuja and did something unprecedented in modern constitutional practice. It continued a criminal trial without identifying the law under which the accused was being tried, admitted that the Constitution forbids conviction without such a law, deferred the issue to “final address” and then abolished final address altogether.
“It was institutional intransigence — a judge and a prosecutor working in tandem to avoid the law,” the statement said.
The defence team observed that throughout the proceedings of 4 November 2025, Kanu asked one question, repeatedly – “My Lord, please show me the law under which I am being tried.”
“It is the most basic question in criminal justice. And the court never answered it,” the statement said, adding that “at no point on 4 November 2025 did Justice Omotosho name an extant statute; identify an operative section; explain which law survived repeal; or state which written law justified detention”.
The defence team argued that the trial did not comply with Section 36(12) of the Constitution which stipulates that no person shall be tried or convicted unless the offence is defined by written law.
“Trial itself is barred where no law exists.
You do not “get to defence first” and then check if a crime exists. Detention without law becomes lawful under this logic, which is constitutionally impossible.
“This was not ignorance. It was a deliberate re-engineering of the Constitution to keep the trial alive,” the statement said.
The defence team equally faulted the argument that nobody came before court to give evidence of Kanu’s extraordinary rendition.
Faulting the claimz the defence team said, “This is demonstrably false on the record because rendition was pleaded on affidavit; appellate courts had ruled on it; Omotosho cited the same Kenyan judgment that condemned extraordinary rendition yet stated nothing about extraordinary rendition was placed before him; the Supreme Court itself (Agim JSC concurring) described it as state criminality”.
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Ogun State Government Announces Pension, Gratuity Backlog Clearance Between 2012 and 2020
The Ogun State Government has announced the clearance of pension and gratuity arrears owed to workers who retired between 2012 and 2020, reaffirming its commitment to the welfare of retirees.
The Economic Adviser and Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Okubadejo, disclosed this on Tuesday during a media parley organised by the Ogun State Ministry of Budget and Planning.
Okubadejo explained that the backlog was linked to the Defined Benefits Scheme, under which retirees receive monthly pension payments, stressing that the present administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun has not defaulted on pension obligations since assuming office.
“Since the inception of this administration, we have not missed a single month of pension payment. What we inherited were arrears tied to the Defined Benefits Scheme,” he said.
According to him, annual pension payments rose from ₦6.7 billion in 2019 to ₦20 billion in 2025, with projections showing a possible increase to ₦40 billion by 2029.
He disclosed that the state had so far paid ₦23.3 billion in gratuities covering retirees from 2012 to 2020, alongside ₦32.8 billion in outstanding gratuities for local government retirees inherited by the administration.
Okubadejo added that between 2019 and July 2, 2025, the state disbursed ₦93.26 billion in pensions under the Defined Benefits Scheme and ₦94.78 billion to local government pensioners.
He assured that the remaining backlog would be cleared as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) continues to improve, noting that over 300 workers who retired in July 2025 are currently receiving six-month palliatives pending the completion of their pension documentation.
The commissioner also described the newly approved Additional Pension Benefits (APB) as the first of its kind in Nigeria, adding that amendments to the state’s pension law would be pursued to formally integrate the scheme.
On the state’s fiscal outlook, Okubadejo revealed that the 2026 budget increased from ₦1.054 trillion in 2025 to ₦1.668 trillion, while Ogun’s economy expanded from ₦3.5 trillion in 2019 to ₦18.96 trillion in 2026.
He added that IGR grew from ₦50 billion in 2019 to ₦240 billion in 2025, with projections of ₦512 billion this year.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Olaolu Olabimtan, said the 2026 budget reflects strong fiscal reforms, noting an 85 per cent budget execution rate in 2024 and sustained financial stability.
Other commissioners highlighted sectoral achievements, including massive road construction, increased healthcare funding, rail extension plans, education support programmes, and expanded housing projects across the state.
African Democratic Congress, ADC, chieftain, Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians to focus on the country’s future and vote for a change in leadership.
Obi spoke at a meeting with Hausa/Fulani chiefs in Abuja on Wednesday.
“We have to talk about the future of our country. All of you know what is happening to our country today. That’s why we are campaigning that you vote out this government,” he said.
He described the situation in Nigeria as dire, citing insecurity, hunger and hardship.
“today we have insecurity across Nigeria. We have hunger across Nigeria. We are suffering across Nigeria. The only thing that is working in Nigeria today is bad news. Every morning you wake up is bad news,” Obi stated.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate said a new administration would prioritize social services.
“We’re urging you to vote for a change and bring a new Nigeria, where our children will be in school. Our hospitals will work,” he added.
Obi also questioned government spending priorities, particularly in the health sector.
“today, if you’re sick in Nigeria you’re praying to Almighty God because we’re now in a country where our president spends 360 billion to buy and refit his plane and spends 36 million in capital vote for the Ministry of Health. There’s nothing working,” he said.
He appealed to Nigerians to use their votes to usher in what he described as a “new Nigeria” focused on improving citizens’ welfare and restoring key public services.
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