Legal expert, Chidera replies Laolu Akande on ‘ignorant analysis’ about Nnamdi Kanu

 

Legal expert, Chidera replies Laolu Akande on ‘ignorant analysis’ about Nnamdi Kanu

By Christopher Chidera

Legal luminary, Barrister Christopher Chidera, has slammed the former Media Aide to former Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, Mr Laolu, over what he called his ignorant analysis of the issues of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Chidera in a statement wrote:” have read the shallow comments credited to Laolu Akande on Daily Post where he claimed that “Nnamdi Kanu is not interested in trial.

“What a careless and ignorant statement! It shows how far some government-sponsored commentators will go to defend injustice they clearly don’t understand.

“Kanu Has Already Been Discharged:

“Let’s get one simple fact straight:
The Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in October 2022. That judgment has never been vacated.
“The Supreme Court never said he should remain in detention; it only said the case could be retried if the law permits.
“So why is he still in DSS custody two years later? Because the government refused to obey the law.

“Before anyone lectures Nnamdi Kanu about trial, they should first tell the government to obey the existing court order. You cannot be in contempt of court and still claim to seek justice.

The Stay of Execution Was an Abuse of Process:

“The so-called “stay of execution” granted by Justice Tsammani, used to block Kanu’s release, was filed using civil procedure in a criminal case — a legal fraud.
“Every law student knows you cannot use civil rules to cage a citizen already discharged in a criminal matter.
That stay was dead on arrival.

“The Law They Are Using Is Dead:Here is the biggest embarrassment of all:

“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is being tried under the Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act 2013 and CEMA 2004, both repealed and expunged from staute books of Nigeria.
In simple English: the laws no longer exist.
Trying anyone under a repealed law is “like arresting a man for violating a rule that has been erased from the book.
“Under Section 36 of the Constitution, there can be no crime and no punishment without a valid law. In Latin its nullum crimen sine lege.

“The Supreme Court Judgment Was Per Incuriam:

“The December 2023 Supreme Court ruling that remitted the case ignored the repeal of the charging statute.
That makes it per incuriam — delivered in ignorance of an existing law.
Even the Supreme Court cannot breathe life into a dead statute.

“The Real Issue Is Fair Hearing:K”anu’s meetings with his lawyers are being monitored by the DSS, destroying attorney-client confidentiality.

“That alone violates Section 36 of the Constitution and Article 7 of the African Charter.
“Yet, instead of addressing these breaches, Justice Omotosho wants to force him through a sham trial and call it justice.
That is not a court — it’s a stage play.

“To Mr Akande and His Paymasters:

“Before you talk about “Kanu avoiding trial,” first learn what the law says.
He is not avoiding trial — he is rejecting illegality.
“You cannot put a man on trial under a repealed law, detain him in defiance of a discharge order, and still pretend it’s due process.

“Ignorance is bad enough; being paid to spread it is worse.
Nigeria deserves thinkers, not echo chambers for power.

“The Truth:

“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s position is simple: no one should be tried under a dead law, before a biased judge, or while the government itself is in contempt of court.
That’s not defiance — it’s principle.

“Until the Federal Government obeys the Court of Appeal’s discharge order, this entire “trial” remains an illegal circus.

“Signed,
Barrister Christopher Chidera
Human Rights Lawyer & Public Rights Advocate
“Abuja, Nigeria – 24 October 2025”