Proscribed group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has claimed that the Federal Government’s legal position in its ongoing case against its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, amounts to an admission that the trial court acted without jurisdiction in key aspects of the judgment.
In a statement, IPOB said it was drawing “the attention of the world, the international community, and all men of conscience” to what it described as a “self-inflicted wound” by the Federal Government in its Notice of Cross-Appeal against the Federal High Court judgment delivered on November 20, 2025. The group argued that the government had “unequivocally declared in black and white that the trial Court acted without jurisdiction when it imposed life imprisonment on Counts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6.”
IPOB maintained that “Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu… accepts this premise in toto,” insisting that the alleged lack of jurisdiction invalidates the sentencing exercise entirely. The group added that “jurisdiction is not divisible,” arguing that a court cannot convict a defendant and still lack authority to impose sentence on the same counts.
Citing legal precedent, the statement referenced Madukolu v. Nkemdilim (1962), noting that “once there is a feature in the case that prevents the court from exercising jurisdiction, the entire proceedings are null and void no matter how well conducted.” IPOB argued that the Federal Government’s own filing had introduced what it described as a fatal defect in the proceedings.
The group also accused the government of inconsistency, stating that “the FG cannot approbate and reprobate,” while describing the cross-appeal as legally untenable. It further alleged political motivation behind the appeal, claiming that attempts to pressure its leader would not succeed.
According to IPOB, “the Federal Government has handed us the sledgehammer to demolish their own conviction,” insisting that the sentencing is void and the case fundamentally flawed. It urged the Court of Appeal to dismiss the cross-appeal and allow the main appeal, which it said should result in “the immediate and unconditional release” of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The statement concluded that “no amount of judicial acrobatics or cheap intimidation can cure a fundamental lack of jurisdiction,” adding that “the Lion of Biafra remains unbowed and the spirit of Biafra remains unconquerable.”
The statement was signed by Emma Powerful, spokesperson for IPOB, and dated June 7, 2026.
