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By Oscar Okhifo
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that hardliners within President Bola Tinubu-led government are mounting pressure on the presiding judge in the case of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to convict him before any possible release.
Sowore, who made the revelation through his social media handles, claimed to have “intelligent information” suggesting that the plot is designed to first secure a guilty verdict against Kanu, after which the President would grant him what they term an “amnesty.”
According to Sowore, the intention behind the alleged plan is to brand Kanu as an ex-convict who benefited from government clemency rather than a political detainee or prisoner of conscience.
“The hardliners are insisting that Justice Omotosho must deliver a guilty verdict before Tinubu considers granting what they deceitfully call amnesty,” Sowore alleged.
Observers say the move, if true, could deepen the controversy surrounding Kanu’s prolonged detention and raise serious questions about judicial independence under the current administration.
Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021 following his controversial arrest and extradition from Kenya. His continued detention has remained a flashpoint of tension in the South-East, with increasing calls from regional leaders, civil society groups, and international observers for his release or fair trial.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency nor the Federal Ministry of Justice had responded to Sowore’s claims.