A representative of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Hon. Obi Aguocha, on Thursday appealed to the Federal High Court in Abuja to show leniency toward Nnamdi Kanu shortly after his conviction on all charges.
Aguocha, who represents the Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made the plea during the allocutus phase after Justice James Omotoso announced a brief recess before sentencing.
THE WHISTLER earlier reported that Kanu was found guilty on all counts under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, ending years of legal confrontation between him and the Federal Government.
With Kanu’s legal team absent at the time the court called for an allocutus, Aguocha stepped forward, saying it was both a personal and civic duty to speak on Kanu’s behalf. He told the court that he and Kanu shared a long personal history, having attended the same primary and secondary schools, and that as a federal lawmaker, he felt obligated to stand for him.
Aguocha pleaded passionately for the court to temper justice with mercy, stressing that compassion could help stabilize both the South-East and the country as a whole. He acknowledged the prosecution’s earlier comments about Nigeria’s worsening insecurity but argued that mercy could help ease tensions rather than deepen them.
He further urged the court to consider that others involved in more serious acts have not faced similar levels of prosecution. As Kanu nears his late fifties, Aguocha asked the court to factor in the toll the nearly decade-long trial has taken on Kanu’s family life and community.
He said leniency could support national reconciliation and healing. Aguocha thanked the judge for allowing him to make the appeal, describing himself as a friend of the court and expressing hope that a merciful decision would benefit the country.
The court is set to proceed with sentencing after the recess.
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