Says Government’s Case Against You Is “Airtight”, Ex-Minister Warns Nnamdi Kanu
Former Minister, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, has issued a stark warning to detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, cautioning that the Federal Government’s case against him appears solid and “airtight,” with grave legal implications if proven in court.
In a strongly worded statement posted on her verified social media page, Ademola-Olateju said the charges levelled against Kanu were “comprehensive and dangerous,” stressing that no individual, regardless of influence or public sentiment, could withstand the full weight of government when it decides to act.
“After God, fear government,” she wrote. “Can someone please tell Nnamdi Kanu that it was government that caught Jesus? There is no one government cannot deal with when they are ready.
I read his charge sheet and shook my head. These charges are airtight — charge seven is particularly potent. What was all that tantrum in court for?”
According to court documents, Kanu faces a seven-count charge bordering on treasonable felony, terrorism, and incitement.
The Federal Government accuses him of using broadcasts on Radio Biafra to promote secession and incite violence across the South-East and parts of the South-South.
In the first count, Kanu allegedly used broadcasts between 2014 and 2015 to advocate the creation of the “Republic of Biafra” from parts of Nigeria, a move deemed an attempt to undermine the sovereignty of the state.
The second count accuses him of referring to then-President Muhammadu Buhari as “a paedophile, terrorist, and embodiment of evil,” statements prosecutors say were false and intended to provoke disaffection.
The third count involves the alleged illegal importation of a TRAM 50L radio transmitter disguised as household goods, while the fourth count cites his open declaration as a member of IPOB, a proscribed group, in violation of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act.
Counts five and six focus on alleged incitement to violence through broadcasts in 2021, where Kanu was said to have urged his followers to attack security personnel and threatened mass unrest, boasting that “in two weeks, what will happen will shake the world.”
The final count, described by Ademola-Olateju as “the most dangerous”, accuses Kanu of issuing a deadly sit-at-home order, warning citizens to “write their wills” if they defied it. The order reportedly crippled economic activities across the South-East, shutting schools, banks, markets, and fuel stations.
Kanu, who has denied all allegations, is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Ademola-Olateju, however, urged him to rethink his defiant posture, warning that the government’s resolve in such cases often leaves little room for manoeuvre.
“There’s no one the government cannot handle when it decides to,” she said. “This case is no exception.”
