The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the apex sociocultural youth organization of Igbo extraction worldwide, has sharply condemned the conviction of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing the judgment delivered on November 20, 2025, by Justice James Kolawole Omotosho as a direct threat to national stability and a grave provocation to the Igbo nation.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the National President of OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, alleged that the ruling was politically motivated and tailored to satisfy what he called “specific political oppressors and profiteers.”
He argued that the verdict had not only damaged the credibility of the presiding judge but further eroded public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system.
According to OYC, the implications of the judgment extend beyond Kanu himself.
“This verdict implies that Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB, and Ndigbo are being broadly tagged as terrorists,” the council said, warning that such characterization has dangerous national consequences.
The group insisted that Kanu and the Igbo people are not terrorists and accused the Federal Government of weaponizing the judiciary for political ends.
Comrade Igboayaka described the judgment as a “political script,” allegedly influenced by the Federal Government and foreign collaborators.
He warned that actions targeting the Igbo people, whether judicial or political, could ignite tensions reminiscent of the events of 1967–1970.
“The Nigerian Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must avoid pushing the new generation of Ndigbo to the limit. Any sudden provocation will be met with formidable resistance,” he said.
OYC emphasized that advocating for self-determination or demanding a referendum does not amount to terrorism, arguing that the use of a microphone to express political grievances cannot radicalize a people.
The group highlighted what it called the selective application of justice in Nigeria, stating that several high-profile figures who have allegedly made inflammatory remarks have never faced prosecution.
The council urged Nnamdi Kanu and his legal team to exhaust all legal channels by immediately proceeding to the Court of Appeal, insisting that “this tribalistic judgment will not stand.”
It further claimed that millions of Igbo people share Kanu’s views and remain committed to the pursuit of self-determination.
Reaffirming its stance, OYC declared that the movement for self-preservation and self-determination in Igboland is unstoppable.
“The journey of Biafra restoration is irreversible,” Comrade Igboayaka noted, adding that the dissolution of Nigeria is “a scientifically predictable natural occurrence.”
OYC warned that the current political trajectory surrounding Kanu’s conviction poses a clear danger to national cohesion and could spark consequences the Federal Government may not be prepared to manage.
