Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer alleges prosecutorial overkill in Biafra case

Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel to Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, has alleged that Kanu was a victim of "prosecutorial overkill" by the Nigerian government. Ejimakor stated that the core of the legal dispute was Kanu's agitation for a separate Biafran state rather than terrorism or treason.

According to Ejimakor, the government influenced the judicial process, claiming that "the judiciary was hoodwinked." He argued that Kanu's campaign for separation was a response to unequal treatment within Nigeria, suggesting that separation would be a fallback if equality was not achieved.

Kanu's legal history includes an initial arrest in Lagos in 2015, a period of bail on health grounds, and a subsequent arrest in Kenya in 2021 followed by an extraordinary rendition to Nigeria. On November 20, 2025, Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment. The Nigerian government maintains the prosecution was based on offenses against state and national security.