The judgment against Nnamdi Kanu is unacceptable to MASSOB and marks a deep injustice against Ndigbo.
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has condemned the court ruling that sentenced Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment, describing it as a political attack on the Igbo nation.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, MASSOB accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government of igniting what it called “irredeemable fire” in Nigeria through a judgment it described as biased, vengeful, and rooted in ethnic hatred.
According to the group, Justice James Omotosho delivered the ruling with “unpretended anger and tribalistic bias”, sentencing Kanu under what MASSOB insists is a repealed anti-terrorism law with no savings clause for ongoing cases. They argued that the judgment reflects “a brutal, lawless and totalitarian regime” under the current administration.
MASSOB Says Kanu’s Prosecution Is Illegal
MASSOB reiterated that Kanu was illegally rendered from Kenya in 2021 rather than formally extradited. The group referenced the June 2025 judgment of Kenyan High Court Justice Anthony Mrima, which held that Kanu’s abduction violated his fundamental rights.
The statement added that both the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2022 and 2025 reports) declared Kanu’s detention arbitrary and called for his immediate release. MASSOB also noted that the United States has never designated IPOB as a terrorist organisation, maintaining the same position since 2017.
“Words From London Now Carry a Heavier Penalty Than Mass Murder”
MASSOB sharply criticised the disparity in sentencing, noting that Boko Haram co-founder Mamman Nur, linked to more than 2,000 deaths, recently received a five-year sentence.
They argued that the ruling against Kanu—based on speeches made abroad—shows the extent of targeted persecution against the Igbo people. According to the group, Kanu’s real “offence” was exposing the “radical Islamic jihad consuming Nigeria and the government’s relationship with jihadist elements.”
MASSOB concluded that Kanu’s sentence is a symbolic punishment on the entire Igbo ethnic group:
“Ndigbo have been sentenced to life imprisonment in Nigeria.”