FG planning to sentence Nnamdi Kanu to death, says Sowore

Nigerian human rights activist and Sahara Reporters founder, Omoyele Sowore, has raised alarm over what he claims is a plan by the Federal Government to sentence Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to death.

Sowore made the allegation in a Facebook post on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, stating that a covert political strategy is being orchestrated against the detained IPOB leader. According to him, the alleged plan is geared towards securing either a death sentence or life imprisonment for Kanu.

He described the purported move as a “high-level political conspiracy” aimed at silencing Kanu permanently, calling on Nigerians and the international community to pay attention to the situation.

According to the activist, this plan is being perfected by the FG in the guise of a judicial process handled by Justice Omotsho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

He wrote, “For the avoidance of doubt and to alert the public, it has become clear that a secret decision has long been reached within the Tinubu regime regarding the fate of Nnamdi Kanu.

“The plan, devised through a high-level political conspiracy, is to either sentence him to death or condemn him to life imprisonment. This outcome, predetermined far in advance, is now being presented as a matter of judicial procedure.

“Justice Omotosho is expected to conclude Kanu’s trial by declaring that his refusal to open his defence amounts to an admission of guilt—a convenient interpretation designed to seal a verdict already agreed upon behind closed doors,” Sowore stated.

He also added that the judgement on the matter is expected to be finalised in November, which appears to mimic the sentencing of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists in 1995.

“The ruling is anticipated in November, a month that bears a haunting historical echo. It was in November 1995 that the military tribunal of General Sani Abacha sentenced Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists to death—a sentence carried out with ruthless precision.

“Today, three decades later, Nigeria appears to be standing at the same moral crossroads. Only the year has changed—this is 2025, not 1995—but the machinery of repression grinds on. The trial of Nnamdi Kanu has ceased to be about justice; it is now a test of conscience for the Nigerian state and its citizens alike. #FreeNnamdiKanuNow,” the activist added.

(SaharaReporters)