Trial Built on Lies: IPOB Accuses FG of Fabricating Evidence Against Nnamdi Kanu
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a scathing condemnation of the ongoing trial of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, calling the legal proceedings a “sham” and a stark indictment of Nigeria’s judicial system.
In a statement released on Friday, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, said the events that unfolded during Thursday’s hearing at the Federal High Court in Abuja revealed the Federal Government’s “last-gasp effort” to implicate Kanu in the 2020 #EndSARS protests and other unrests in the Southeast.
“Thursday, June 19, 2025, marks a pivotal moment in a case that has from inception been sustained by a toxic cocktail of deceit, media manipulation, evidentiary fraud, and a calculated campaign to criminalise self-determination,” the group said.
The prosecution, led by Chief Awomolo (SAN), formally closed its case after cross-examination of its final witness. Kanu’s lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), immediately indicated the defence would file a “No-Case Submission,” citing the prosecution’s failure to establish any legal offence against the IPOB leader.
According to IPOB, the final prosecution witness—referred to as PW5-EEE and allegedly an intelligence officer—performed poorly under cross-examination by Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), offering evasive, inconsistent responses and drawing visible frustration from the judge, Justice James Omotosho.
“Even the prosecution’s lead counsel had to caution the witness in open court,” the group claimed, adding that the court was forced to demand direct ‘yes or no’ answers due to the witness’s alleged evasiveness.
IPOB expressed outrage at what it described as an “absurd” attempt by the prosecution to blame Kanu for inciting the #EndSARS movement, which began in Ughelli, Delta State. They dismissed the claim as both “intellectually bankrupt” and “morally obscene.”
The statement also alleged that the prosecution failed to provide credible evidence for its claims of 200 security personnel killed in the Southeast. “No names, no ranks, no stations, no death certificates,” IPOB said, accusing the government of fabricating an assessment report only in June 2025—years after the incidents supposedly occurred.
“The so-called autopsy and coroner’s reports were unsigned, unverifiable, and full of forgeries. Key witnesses were conveniently absent,” the group added.
IPOB criticized the Nigerian media for what it called selective reporting, accusing news outlets of amplifying security agency narratives while ignoring critical courtroom developments that allegedly discredit the case.
“Why is the press silent when the prosecution’s case crumbles in open court? Nigerians and the international community should demand Certified True Copies of the daily proceedings and judge for themselves,” Emma Powerful said.
IPOB insisted that Kanu is not on trial for violence but for advocating peacefully for self-determination. The group described the trial as a “monument to state-sponsored falsehood” and called on the global community to intervene.
“History will remember those who stood by while injustice was dressed in legality—and those who exposed it,” the statement concluded.
