Your silence aiding unlawful case against Nnamdi Kanu – Family calls out NBA
The family of Nnamdi Kanu has condemned the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, for remaining silent over what it described as the unlawful trial of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
The Okwu-Kanu family spoke in a statement signed by Prince Emmanuel Kanu, titled ‘The NBA’s Silence Is Helping an Unlawful Court Case Against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, And It Is Breaking Our Constitution’.
The family noted that the NBA has so far failed in its duty regarding Kanu’s trial, which it said is based on a repealed, non-existent law.
The Okwu-Kanu family expressed disappointment that the foremost lawyers’ association has not deemed it necessary to speak out to condemn the development.
Parts of the statement read, “The Okwu-Kanu family wishes to address the Nigerian Bar Association directly and truthfully, without sugarcoating or politeness that hides the painful reality. The hard truth is that the NBA has failed in its duty, and its silence in the face of clear constitutional violations has allowed an unlawful and fake court case against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to continue.
The NBA, a body created to defend the rule of law and protect the legal order, has stood by quietly while Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is being tried under a law that no longer exists, a law that was repealed by the National Assembly, and whose use in any court violates Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution.
“Throughout this period, the NBA has spoken no word, taken no action, and made no attempt to educate the public or correct the dangerous misunderstanding surrounding this trial. This is not neutrality; it is aiding injustice by doing nothing. The controlling law for terrorism-related prosecutions in Nigeria today is the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022, not a repealed law, and that law makes it clear in Section 76(1)(d)(iii) that no Nigerian court can try a person for an offence allegedly committed in another country unless that foreign country also regards the alleged act as a crime.
