Senator Orji Uzor Kalu says Nigeria must look beyond the courtroom in the case of Nnamdi Kanu, urging the Federal Government to embrace a political settlement as tensions rise over the IPOB leader’s fresh conviction.
Kalu, who represents Abia North, spoke on Channels Television days after a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on several terrorism-related counts. While acknowledging the legal team’s plan to appeal, he argued that litigation alone cannot resolve the deep-rooted crisis that has reshaped the South-East in recent years.
“The problem of Nnamdi Kanu is what we need to solve through a political process,” Kalu said. He disclosed that he has been in ongoing discussions with federal authorities, adding that “nobody should question the decision of Justice Omotosho,” who delivered last Thursday’s ruling.
The judgment found Kanu guilty on seven counts, with the prosecution deemed to have proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Justice James Omotosho held that Kanu’s broadcasts—including declarations that the region would “shut down” and warnings that people would die—amounted to acts of terrorism. Sentences ranged from five to twenty years on some counts, and life imprisonment on others, all to run concurrently.
Kalu said the ruling, though severe, should also prompt a broader conversation about reconciliation. He criticized the public silence over the many Igbo civilians who, he said, lost their lives or livelihoods during periods of unrest linked to IPOB’s activities. According to him, entire communities endured fear, job losses, and prolonged insecurity as the crisis deepened.
He recalled mounting pressure on then-President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017 to facilitate Kanu’s initial release from detention, crediting Mamman Daura and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami for their roles at the time. “I know the pressure I personally put on President Buhari,” he said. “Nobody is talking about the Igbo who were killed.”
Read Also: Assisted Dying Law Fails In Slovenia Referendum Vote
Aloy Ejimakor, a consultant to Kanu, has vowed to challenge the life sentence at the appellate court, setting the stage for a renewed legal battle. But Kalu insists the country cannot litigate its way out of a problem that has fractured trust between Abuja and parts of the South-East.
As he prepares to engage the current Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi, Kalu says his goal is straightforward: urge President Tinubu to consider a political off-ramp before the divide deepens further.