By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The family of detained IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has accused the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of turning a blind eye to what it describes as severe violations of constitutional and legal procedures in Kanu’s ongoing prosecution.
The allegation was contained in a strongly worded open letter signed by Prince Emmanuel Okwu-Kanu on behalf of the Okwu-Kanu family.
In the letter, the family claimed that the NBA’s “troubling silence” has helped sustain what it calls an “unlawful and invalid court case” against Kanu. According to them, Kanu is being prosecuted under the repealed Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act 2013, which they argue ceased to exist following the enactment of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022.
“The hard truth is that the NBA has failed in its duty, and its silence in the face of clear constitutional violations has allowed an unlawful court case against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to continue,” the letter stated. It further argued that the Constitution forbids the use of repealed laws in criminal trials and cited several Supreme Court cases as precedent.
The family also questioned the issue of jurisdiction, insisting that Section 76 of the 2022 Act requires double criminality for terrorism-related offences committed outside Nigeria.
They argued that Kenya, where Kanu was arrested, has never accused him of any crime, making the trial jurisdictionally defective.
The letter criticised lawyers and judges involved in the process, warning that the NBA’s silence threatens the integrity of the justice system. It said the association’s inaction “normalises abuses” and undermines public confidence in the rule of law, especially in cases involving citizens held under allegedly invalid charges.
Calling on the NBA to “rediscover its conscience,” the family urged the association to publicly affirm that Kanu cannot be tried under a repealed law and to defend constitutional standards. The letter concluded with a warning that history would remember the NBA as complicit if it continues to remain silent on the matter.
