By Banneronlinenews Staff Writer
The Southern Solidarity Alliance (SSA) has denounced the life sentence handed to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing it as a historic miscarriage of justice and “a dangerous descent into political persecution disguised as a court judgment.”
In a fiery statement issued Tuesday, November 25, 2025 the group said the verdict delivered by Justice Omotosho followed by Kanu’s “sudden and suspicious” transfer to Sokoto Prison represents one of the “clearest illustrations of injustice in the history of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
According to the Alliance, the sentence is not merely a punishment for Kanu or the Igbo nation, but “a direct and unmistakable assault on Southern Nigeria,” reopening wounds dating back to the civil war and reviving a painful catalogue of state-led repression in the South.
“Rather than pursue dialogue, healing and political reconciliation, the Federal Government has chosen once again to dig Nigeria deeper into division,” SSA said, drawing parallels with the rejection of the Aburi Accord, the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine, the June 12 annulment and the assassination of Kudirat Abiola.
The group argued that while armed terrorists, bandits and extremist militias receive negotiations, reintegration packages and state-backed accommodations, Kanu, who it insists has never led armed attacks, kidnapped schoolchildren, bombed public places or taken up arms, is being met with “vengeful state power.”
The symbolism of moving him to Sokoto, the SSA added, is “a calculated humiliation,” given the region’s historical and political sensitivities. “The symbolism is not lost on any right-thinking Nigerian,” the group warned. It accused the government of openly seeking a death sentence for Kanu “for demanding self-determination in the 21st century”, pointing out that the ruling reveals “a judgment driven not by law but by hate.”
The Alliance further blasted the government for ignoring previous court orders that discharged Kanu, accusing officials of “shopping for new offences and pliant judges until they found one willing to hand them the verdict they sought.”
“This is a riot against the rule of law,” the statement reads. “The Federal Government cannot ignore judgments freeing him while rushing to execute a black-market judgment convicting him.”
Reiterating that Kanu is “a political prisoner and prisoner of conscience,” the SSA issued a six-point demand:
- Immediate presidential release of Nnamdi Kanu through the prerogative of mercy.
- A sweeping judicial reversal of the life sentence, with the courts “redeeming themselves” through a decisive repudiation of the ruling.
- Immediate transfer of Kanu from Sokoto to a neutral and accessible facility.
- Unrestricted access to him by lawyers, family members and medical personnel.
- A comprehensive review of longstanding grievances raised by Kanu, IPOB and major South-East stakeholders.
- An end to the criminalisation of peaceful agitation across Nigeria.
The group warned that Nigeria “cannot imprison its way out of political agitation,” and accused the Federal Government of “pampering real terrorists while attacking unarmed activists.”
“History will record that when injustice tried to wear the robe of legality, the Southern Solidarity Alliance stood firmly on the side of truth,” the statement concluded. “A nation that jails Nnamdi Kanu but negotiates with terrorists must urgently re-examine its moral compass.”
The release was signed by Ndubuisi Okafor, National Coordinator, and Comrade Orakpor Emmanuel Ogheneganaye, Head, Directorate of Publicity.
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