Nnamdi Kanu’s wife reacts to life sentence of husband, says judgement was scripted

Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, wife of Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has reacted strongly to the life imprisonment sentence handed down to her husband by the Federal High Court on Thursday.

She argued that a judge cannot ask a defendant to open a defense on terrorism charges without first reading the written law under which the person is being tried.

Uchechi alleged that Justice James Omotosho simply read from a script when sentencing Kanu to life imprisonment. She further claimed that the judge struggled to read some words in his own judgment.

Very Nigerian had reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment after convicting him on all seven counts of terrorism charges brought by the Department of State Services.

The court ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient and credible evidence, while Kanu opted not to enter a defense, relying solely on the prosecution’s evidence, a choice the court said left it no option but to convict.

Speaking on the judgment, Uchechi said: “In Nigeria, a judge cannot ask a defendant to open a defense on terrorism-related charges without reading out the written law under which the court is trying that person.

Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution clearly provides that a person shall not be convicted of a criminal offense unless the offense is defined and the penalty prescribed in a written law.

“What Omotosho did today was simply read a script handed to him. Everyone could see and hear him reading it, and he struggled to pronounce some of the words in his own judgment.

I had to quickly post about the travesty of justice regarding how he ignored the Constitution’s requirement that no one can be convicted under an unwritten or unknown offense.

“He forced Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to take a plea under a repealed law, which my husband refused. Omotosho also refused to issue written rulings on serious applications, blocked Kanu from submitting a final address, and went ahead to read out what he called counts, undermining Kanu’s constitutional rights.”

Uchechi’s statements highlight ongoing concerns over procedural fairness and judicial conduct in the landmark trial of the IPOB leader.

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