Barrister Christopher Chidera, a member of the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Defence Consortium, has accused the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of staying silent over what he called “illegalities” in the conviction of the IPOB leader. In a statement on Monday, he claimed that propaganda is being used to distract the public from the unlawful aspects of Kanu’s trial and sentencing.

Chidera explained that Kanu was prosecuted under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act (TPAA) of 2013, a law that has since been repealed by the National Assembly. According to the lawyer, the trial judge ignored the 2022 Terrorism Prevention Act (TPPA), under which Kanu should have been tried, and instead relied on the old, defunct law to convict and sentence him.

He warned that this sets a dangerous legal precedent, as it undermines the authority of the National Assembly and the Nigerian Constitution. “Any judge can now resurrect old laws, and the Constitution becomes meaningless. Today it is Kanu; tomorrow it could be anyone,” Chidera said, emphasizing the threat to rule of law in Nigeria if such actions are accepted.

The lawyer also called out Nigeria’s foremost legal bodies for remaining quiet on the matter, arguing that they are fully aware of the legal breach. He insisted that a fair trial under the current law must have been conducted and that convicting anyone under a repealed law is a violation of justice and due process.