The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has released a statement appealing for peace and composure from the Igbo community and all Nigerians after the conviction and life imprisonment sentencing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, on terrorism charges.
The Minister utilized her verified X handle on Friday, the 21st of November, 2025, to deliver the plea, noting that while the judgment was not the anticipated or desired result, it is a reality that the nation must now face.
She strongly warned against any course of action that might dangerously increase tensions, both within Nigeria’s borders and among the Nigerian diaspora community.
Addressing the populace directly, the Minister of State said: “There comes a time in the history of a people when there is a need for calm. I therefore advise Ndigbo and Nigerians as a whole that such a period is now! There is an utmost need to exercise restraint in response to this situation.”
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“All actions which could be deemed incendiary and which might escalate the situation at home or in the diaspora should be curtailed. A word is enough for the wise,” she said.
The conviction to which she was reacting was handed down by the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, who found Kanu guilty on Thursday, the 20th of November, on seven counts of terrorism. The judge sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on five counts, 20 years on one count, and five years on another, with the judge ordering all sentences to run concurrently.