Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, wife of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, has condemned the life sentence handed to her husband by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, describing the ruling as illegal, biased, and void under Nigerian law.

In a statement, Uchechi said the court failed to determine whether it had the jurisdiction to try Kanu before proceeding with the trial, a fundamental requirement in criminal proceedings.

She accused Justice Omotosho of instructing her husband to consolidate all objections in a final written address, only to block the submission and deliver judgment without considering them, denying Kanu a fair hearing.

Uchechi further alleged that the judge refused to issue written rulings on several critical applications filed by Kanu, including challenges relating to illegal rendition, repealed laws, abuse of court process, double criminality, and invalid charges. She said the court forced Kanu to plead under the now-repealed Terrorism Act of 2013, ignoring the updated 2022 Act, rendering the charges invalid and the trial illegal.

She claimed the judgment included allegations and “facts” that were never presented in court, including assertions that Kanu had planned to bomb the United States and United Kingdom embassies during EndSARS protests.

According to Uchechi, no witness testified to such claims, making them fictitious and inadmissible. She criticized the reliance on a “savings clause” from the old law, stressing that no repealed law can override the Constitution.

Uchechi also said the court ignored the principle of double criminality, which requires that crimes alleged to have been committed abroad must be recognized as offences in the foreign jurisdiction. In Kanu’s case, no evidence, police reports, or witnesses from Kenya were presented, undermining the court’s authority to try him.

She concluded that the judgment is worthless, illegal, and cannot withstand appeal. She described Justice Omotosho’s handling of the case as judicial misconduct, noting that her husband’s right to defend himself was systematically blocked, and that the court relied on invented evidence to justify the conviction.

Uchechi stated that her legal team would challenge the verdict in higher courts, highlighting that the Nigerian government acted unlawfully by bringing Kanu from Kenya and trying him under a repealed law. She said the ruling exposes the presiding judge to potential disciplinary action.

Source; PM News