The Trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: A Script Nigeria Should Have Abandoned

The Trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: A Script Nigeria Should Have Abandoned  On March 21, 2025, the Nigerian government will once again take cente...

The Trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: A Script Nigeria Should Have Abandoned 

On March 21, 2025, the Nigerian government will once again take center stage in the never-ending, circus-like prosecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. With all the pressing issues bedeviling the country ranging from insecurity, economic collapse, and a currency that now dances to the tune of a fallen leaf the government has chosen to prioritize the trial of one man over the survival of over 200 million people.  

At this point, one cannot help but wonder: Is Nigeria prosecuting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, or is Nigeria prosecuting itself?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not Nigeria’s problem, Nigeria is Nigeria’s problem. If bad governance, poverty, and marginalization were prosecuted with half the energy used against Kanu, Nigeria would have become a paradise. But alas, this is a country where terrorists roam freely while an unarmed activist is shackled and dragged from one courtroom to another. Justice in Nigeria, it seems, wears a blindfold not to ensure fairness, but to avoid seeing the injustice it dispenses.  

The drama began in 2021, when the Nigerian government, in clear violation of international laws, abducted Kanu from Kenya in what can only be described as an episode from a third-rate action movie. Interpol watched in confusion. The United Nations frowned. Kenya denied involvement. But Nigeria, ever committed to lawlessness, clapped for itself. Four years later, Kanu remains behind bars, while bandits and kidnappers have graduated from using motorcycles to driving Toyota Hilux vans.  

  

The government’s insistence on prosecuting Kanu is like a fisherman setting traps for fish in the desert, a wasted effort with no reward. It is laughable that, after failing to crush IPOB with military force, failing to stop the Biafra agitation through propaganda, and failing to defeat Kanu legally, Nigeria still believes that one more court session will somehow end the struggle.  

Perhaps the government thinks that if they sentence Kanu to life imprisonment, all Biafrans will suddenly become patriotic Nigerians? Or maybe they believe that after convicting him, Nigerians will forget about hunger, high fuel prices, and their dwindling bank balances? If this is the plan, then whoever is advising Aso Rock deserves an award for the best tragic comedy of the decade.  

At this point, the best thing Nigeria can do is free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and end this self-inflicted embarrassment. The courts have already ruled that his detention is illegal. Even those who once opposed him now acknowledge that his continued incarceration serves no purpose. Every day Kanu remains in detention, he gains more supporters, and the Biafra movement grows stronger.

If the Nigerian government truly wants peace, it must begin with dialogue, not persecution. Keeping Kanu locked up while pretending that Biafra is no longer an issue is like hiding a broken leg under long trousers and expecting to walk properly, it won’t work.    

History is a wise teacher, but Nigeria is a poor student. From Isaac Adaka Boro to Ken Saro-Wiwa, from Chief Moshood Abiola to Sunday Igboho, the Nigerian state has never understood that imprisoning a movement’s leader does not kill the movement. In fact, it often makes it stronger.  

March 21st will come and go. Another courtroom drama will unfold. The prosecution will argue. The defense will counter. The judge will adjourn. And the country will still be in the same mess only now with a few more protests, a few more diplomatic embarrassments, and a few more reasons for the world to question Nigeria’s commitment to justice.  

Instead of wasting time chasing shadows, the government should do the right thing: Free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and focus on fixing the country. Or, as an Igbo proverb puts it, "When a man chases rats while his house is on fire, even the rats will laugh at him."

Family Writers Press International