PRESS STATEMENT
RE: FALSE REPORT BY PREMIUM TIMES ON NNAMDI KANU’S SO-CALLED WAIVER OF DEFENCE
Our attention has been drawn to a misleading report published by Premium Times under the headline “Nnamdi Kanu waives defence in terrorism trial – Judge cautions.” The story, lifted wholesale from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), is false and malicious.
For the record, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu did not waive his right to defence. That false narrative is a deliberate distortion of courtroom proceedings. It was precisely this pattern of misreporting that Mazi Kanu cautioned journalists about earlier in court.
What actually transpired was clear: Kanu challenged the prosecution to show the law under which he is being tried. He asked Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, a straightforward question — “Under what law am I being tried?” The prosecution could not provide any valid statutory foundation for the charges. At that point, the presiding judge intervened, suggesting that Kanu put his position in writing.
The issue before the court is therefore one of jurisdiction and legality, not a waiver of defence. Kanu’s argument is rooted in law: no valid defence can be entered where the charging statute is repealed or unknown to law. That is a basic legal principle, not defiance.
It is disappointing that Premium Times and similar outlets continue to act as echo chambers for state propaganda rather than uphold journalistic integrity. Responsible journalism demands accuracy, not the regurgitation of government-fed falsehoods.
We challenge Premium Times and NAN to ask Mr. Awomolo, SAN, to produce the law under which Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is charged. Until they can do so, all talk of “waiving defence” is fiction.
Journalists must rise above manipulation and propaganda. The Nigerian public deserves truth — not government spin.
COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL SPOKESPERSON/MEDIA AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB.
