Abuja, Nigeria – October 22, 2025 – In a pivotal turn in one of Nigeria's most protracted and politically charged trials, Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has formally notified the Federal High Court in Abuja of his intent to open his defense. The announcement, filed on Tuesday, October 21, comes just days after a court-appointed medical panel cleared him to stand trial, marking a potential acceleration in proceedings that have dragged on for nearly a decade. Kanu's motion, personally signed and submitted to Justice James Omotosho, lists a roster of high-profile figures as witnesses, including serving governors, retired military generals, and former federal officials, signaling a defense strategy aimed at unpacking the broader political undercurrents of his activism.
Kanu, a 58-year-old dual British-Nigerian citizen born in 1967 amid the echoes of the Nigerian Civil War, has long been a lightning rod for debates on ethnic autonomy and national unity. His journey into separatism began in the United Kingdom, where he studied at the University of North London and later directed Radio Biafra, a London-based station launched in 2009 to broadcast pro-independence messages for the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. Drawing inspiration from figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., Kanu advocated for passive resistance and a referendum on Biafran sovereignty—a nod to the short-lived Republic of Biafra, which seceded in 1967 and collapsed after a brutal 30-month war that claimed up to three million lives, mostly from starvation. In 2012, disillusioned with the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Kanu founded IPOB, framing it as a non-violent movement to restore what he calls "precolonial independence" for the Igbo-dominated southeast. IPOB's radio broadcasts and social media campaigns quickly amplified grievances over perceived marginalization, including unequal resource allocation and historical injustices post-civil war.
The group's momentum peaked in 2015 when Kanu returned to Nigeria for a speaking engagement at the World Igbo Congress in Los Angeles, where he urged supporters to arm themselves rhetorically but emphasized non-violence. That October, he was arrested by Nigeria's Department of State Services (DSS) on charges including treasonable felony, terrorism, and inciting public unrest—allegations stemming from his broadcasts deemed seditious by the federal government. Released on bail in 2017 due to health concerns, Kanu vanished shortly after a military raid on his Abia State home in September 2017, which IPOB claimed was an assassination attempt. He resurfaced in 2021 after a controversial rendition from Kenya, reigniting international outcry over his treatment. Since then, his detention has fueled weekly "sit-at-home" protests in the southeast, economic disruptions, and clashes with security forces, with IPOB's Eastern Security Network accused of attacks on police stations and electoral infrastructure.
Now, after years of legal maneuvering—including multiple bail denials, judge recusals, and appeals to the ECOWAS Court and United Nations—Kanu's latest filing pivots from obstruction to engagement. "Pursuant to the order of this honourable court made on the 16th day of October 2025, directing the defendant to commence his defence on the 24th day of October 2025, I am ready to do so," Kanu wrote in the motion, addressing Justice Omotosho directly. This follows a preliminary objection he filed on October 16 challenging the court's jurisdiction, which now appears sidelined as he commits to proceedings. The shift underscores the trial's accelerated timeline: Justice Omotosho, who inherited the case in March 2025 after Justice Binta Nyako's recusal amid bias allegations, granted Kanu just six consecutive days—from October 23 to close his case—to expedite hearings.
Central to Kanu's strategy is his personal testimony. He plans to take the stand, providing a sworn account to refute the 11-count indictment, which accuses him of managing a terror group, inciting violence, and undermining Nigeria's sovereignty through his broadcasts. "I intend to deny the allegations against me and explain the political context of my statements and actions," the motion states, framing his advocacy as legitimate dissent rather than criminality. To bolster this, Kanu proposes calling 23 witnesses, split into "ordinary but material witnesses" (voluntary participants offering sworn statements) and "vital and compellable witnesses" to be subpoenaed under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011. He has requested a 90-day adjournment to marshal evidence, citing the witnesses' volume and the need for thorough preparation.
The compellable list reads like a who's who of Nigerian power brokers, many accused by IPOB of complicity in southeastern insecurity or anti-Igbo policies. It includes retired General Theophilus Danjuma, a revered elder statesman and former Defense Minister known for his critiques of Fulani herdsmen violence; retired Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, blamed by separatists for the 2017 raid on Kanu's home; Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, criticized for suppressing pro-Biafra rallies in the commercial hub; Imo Governor Hope Uzodinma, a vocal IPOB opponent who has clashed with sit-at-home enforcers; FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, accused of enabling heavy-handed policing in Abuja; Works Minister Dave Umahi, a southeasterner faulted for not advocating harder for Kanu's release; and former Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, whose tenure saw escalated IPOB-military tensions. Rounding out the roster: ex-Attorney General Abubakar Malami, who oversaw Kanu's 2021 rendition; former National Intelligence Agency Director Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; and current DSS Director-General Yusuf Magaji Bichi, whose agency has held Kanu since 2021. Undisclosed witnesses suggest further revelations, with Kanu assuring the court of prompt notifications to prosecutors and a commitment to "ensure that justice is not only done but manifestly seen to have been done."
Legal observers view this as a bold gambit, potentially forcing the state to confront its own actors under oath. "Kanu is turning the trial into a platform for IPOB's narrative, subpoenaing figures who symbolize the establishment's failures in the southeast," said Ifeanyi Chukwu, a Lagos-based human rights lawyer not involved in the case. Yet, challenges loom: Compelling unwilling witnesses could delay proceedings further, and the prosecution, led by Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), may object vigorously. On Wednesday, October 22, Kanu held a closed-door consultation with his team, led by former AGF Kanu Agabi (SAN), in the courtroom under heavy DSS escort—a rare concession granting privacy outside DSS premises.
This courtroom drama unfolds against a backdrop of escalating extrajudicial pressures. Just hours before Kanu's filing, a magistrate court in Abuja's Kuje area remanded his special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, alongside 12 others—including Kanu's brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu—for participating in Monday's #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest organized by activist Omoyele Sowore. The demonstration, aimed at demanding Kanu's unconditional release, drew a modest turnout amid heavy security deployments that paralyzed Abuja's streets, with reports of live gunfire and beatings. Police charged the group with criminal conspiracy, disobedience to court orders, inciting disturbance, and breaching public peace under Sections 113, 114, and 152 of the Penal Code—offenses tied to blocking traffic, chanting "war songs," and placard-carrying near Aso Rock.
The 13 defendants, listed in two First Information Reports, include Bishop Wilson Anyalewechi, Barrister Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, and others like Joshua Emmanuel and Chima Onuchukwu. After a brief stand-down, the magistrate ordered remand at Kuje Correctional Centre until arraignment on October 24—the same day Kanu's defense opens. Ejimakor, posting from custody via associates, affirmed he was "safe & sound" but decried the remand as a "conspiracy" to derail Kanu's trial, noting police bypassed central Abuja courts for the remote Kuje venue. Amnesty International condemned the arrests as "a deliberate attempt to suppress peaceful dissent," urging immediate release and labeling the charges "fabricated." Sowore, the 2023 African Action Congress presidential candidate, called the detentions "despicable," highlighting Ejimakor's ethical breach claims by critics like Bayo Onanuga, a Tinubu aide who deemed the lawyer's protest participation unprofessional.
The medical clearance paving Kanu's path forward adds irony. On October 13, a Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) panel, appointed by Justice Omotosho to resolve dueling health reports, examined Kanu and concluded his ailments—enlarged heart, low potassium, and a armpit lump—posed "no immediate danger to life," deeming him fit for trial. Defense counsel had warned of life-threatening pancreatic and liver issues, but the NMA's verdict, read in court on October 16, prompted the defense timeline. Controversy lingers: An NMA member, Dr. Adefolaseye Adebomi Adebayo, questioned the association's authority to issue such rulings, demanding constitutional clarification from NMA President Prof. Bala Mohammed Audu.
Broader implications ripple across Nigeria's fragile ethnic tapestry. IPOB's proscription as a terrorist group in 2017 has stifled open discourse, with southeastern governors like Anambra's Charles Soludo calling for dialogue post-release: "The Igbo needs Nigeria; Nigeria needs the Igbo." Yet, Kanu's persistence—boycotting 2019 elections as "civil disobedience"—highlights unresolved civil war scars. As Thursday's hearing nears, with Ejimakor's absence complicating logistics, the trial tests judicial independence amid executive pressures. Will Kanu's witnesses dismantle the charges, or expose deeper fault lines? For now, the southeast watches, sit-at-home orders flickering like embers of a half-century-old fire.
