HURIWA Alleges Judicial Bias in Nnamdi Kanu Trial, Calls for Fair Hearing

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised serious concerns over what it describes as a predetermined bias by Justice James Omotosho in the ongoing trial of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko on Thursday, HURIWA condemned the judge’s handling of the case, saying his “hurried, choreographed and restrictive approach” undermines the constitutional right of Kanu to a fair trial.
The group expressed alarm that, after over four years in federal custody, Kanu has yet to be allowed sufficient time to challenge the charges against him.
Central to Kanu’s defense, HURIWA said, is the argument that the terrorism charges are based on a repealed law, rendering the prosecution invalid. “You cannot stand something on nothing,” the group said, noting that the court repeatedly blocked Kanu from fully raising this point. HURIWA accused Justice Omotosho of acting as if the verdict had been predetermined, rather than allowing due process to run its course.
The rights group praised Kanu for seeking intervention from the Court of Appeal, calling on the appellate justices to ensure he is granted a full and impartial hearing. HURIWA also recalled that the Court of Appeal had previously freed Kanu, a decision the federal government ignored while rushing the matter to the Supreme Court.
Highlighting international human rights standards, HURIWA stressed that peaceful advocacy for self-determination is protected under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Nigerian Constitution. The group further clarified that self-determination does not equal secession, citing rulings such as Brandenburg v. Ohio (US) and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights, which uphold political expression unless it incites imminent violence.
“Criminalizing Kanu’s political advocacy for self-determination sets a dangerous precedent and erodes democratic norms,” HURIWA said. The organisation urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to monitor the case closely, warning that public confidence in the judiciary depends on justice being both done and seen to be done.
The statement, called on the Court of Appeal to provide an open and fair platform for Kanu to defend himself fully, stressing that anything less would deepen public mistrust in Nigeria’s judicial system.