Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Kenneth Okonkwo, has called on the Federal Government to free the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, describing his prolonged incarceration as a failure of the justice system.
Okonkwo, a legal practitioner and former Nollywood actor, made the appeal whilst speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday, arguing that the case requires urgent political intervention.
Kanu has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services since his re-arrest in June 2021, a situation that has generated sustained calls for his release from prominent Nigerians, including Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore.
The ADC chieftain expressed deep concern over what he described as an abuse of legal processes, noting that keeping someone in detention for nearly seven years without reaching a verdict contradicts constitutional provisions.
“A nation that detains a human being for more than seven years. You have him in your custody and yet you couldn’t even reach a judgment as to the culpability of his crime is a nation that is failing in the dispensation of justice,” Okonkwo stated.
Drawing on Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution, which enshrines the presumption of innocence until guilt is proven, the lawyer emphasised that delays in judicial proceedings erode public confidence in the legal system.
“Justice delayed is justice denied. When it comes to the issue of crime, the Constitution is very clear that the accused or defendant should be judged within a reasonable time,” he said.
“It is very unreasonable to keep a man in detention for almost seven years. What are you judging?”
Okonkwo further argued that the extended pretrial detention had taken a toll on the IPOB leader, warning that such prolonged confinement could affect anyone’s mental state.
“In the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the legal processes have been abused. Nobody remains sane to be in jail for more than seven years whilst a case is being tried,” he said.
“People are frustrated, people believe that if you do not find anything against this man, release him or reach a political solution.”
