A prominent legal expert, Uche Onyeagucha, has heavily criticized the life sentence recently imposed on the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Onyeagucha, a former lawmaker who represented the Owerri Federal Constituency in Imo State, argued that Justice Omotosho was in a hurry to convict Nnamdi Kanu. He condemned the proceedings as a “sham trial, illegal, null, void, and of no effect,” asserting that the judge failed to comply with critical provisions outlined in Sections 267 and 349(6)(b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
According to Onyeagucha, these specific provisions mandate that any person facing a charge punishable by death or life imprisonment shall be represented by a lawyer.
In a personally signed statement on Sunday, the 23rd of November, 2025, the legal luminary stated that it was the clear responsibility of the court, in this case led by Justice Omotosho, to have assigned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu a lawyer to represent him.
Onyeagucha further underscored his point by quoting Section 349(6)(b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which expressly provides that “a defendant charged with a capital offence or an offence punishable with life imprisonment SHALL not be allowed to represent and defend himself.”
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Extracts from his statement detailing the alleged judicial failure include: “Omotosho J. failed to follow this provision of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 by allowing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to represent himself, contrary to the spirit of the law, which states that he shall not be allowed to defend himself.”
He added that: “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, under the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, did not have legal representation as envisaged by the ACJ Act 2015,” and therefore, “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu did not receive a fair trial or fair hearing as a person charged with an offense punishable by death or life imprisonment.”
The legal expert expressed confidence that the verdict would be overturned on appeal, concluding: “The sham trial, conviction, and sentence by Omotosho J. will be set aside by the Court of Appeal, relying on the combined effects of Sections 267 and 349(6)(b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. Omotosho J. did not follow the law in discharging his duty as a judge. The judgment will collapse on appeal.”