The wife of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has spoken out against the life sentence handed down to her husband by a federal high court in Abuja. Uchechi Okwu-Kanu criticized the judgment, stating that the judge failed to follow proper procedure in the trial. According to her, a judge cannot ask a defendant to open a defense on terrorism-related charges without reading out the written law under which the court is trying the person.

The Federal High Court in Abuja had sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on Thursday, after convicting him on all seven counts of terrorism charges brought against him by the Department of State Services. Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment, stating that the prosecution presented sufficient and credible evidence to prove its case. However, Kanu’s wife alleged that the judge read from a script and could barely read out some of the words in his own written judgment.

Uchechi Okwu-Kanu pointed out that the Nigerian constitution requires that a person shall not be convicted of a criminal offense unless the offense is defined and the penalty prescribed in a written law. She claimed that the judge ignored this requirement and forced Kanu to take a plea under a repealed law, which he refused. She also stated that the judge refused to issue written rulings on serious applications and blocked Kanu’s final address.

The conviction of Nnamdi Kanu has sparked controversy, with his supporters arguing that the trial was unfair. The Indigenous People of Biafra is a separatist movement that has been proscribed by the Nigerian government. Kanu’s trial has been widely followed, and his conviction is likely to have significant implications for the movement and its supporters.

The Nigerian government has been criticized for its handling of the trial, with some arguing that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove Kanu’s guilt. The conviction has also raised concerns about the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in Nigeria. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the conviction will affect the Indigenous People of Biafra and its supporters.