Human rights lawyer Malcolm Omirhobo has taken aim at the Nigerian government, accusing it of using double standards in the case of Nnamdi Kanu and wanted bandit leaders — www.naijnaira.com reports.
Omirhobo, in a statement released on his official X handle through the Malcolm Omirhobo Foundation, demanded the unconditional release of the IPOB leader.
He argued that the Federal Government cannot justify holding a political agitator while negotiating peace with criminals declared wanted by security authorities.
“Free, free, free Nnamdi Kanu. FGN must end double standards and release Nnamdi Kanu immediately,” Omirhobo insisted.
The criticism followed reports by SaharaReporters that Katsina officials met with bandit commanders, including Isiya Kwashen Garwa, Ado Alero, and Babaro, for a peace deal.
Garwa, declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters in 2022 with a N5 million bounty, is accused of kidnappings, killings, and terror attacks across the North-West.
Alero and Babaro, also on security watchlists, attended the peace dialogue despite their alleged roles in violent assaults, including the deadly Mantau Mosque attack.
Omirhobo questioned why Kanu has spent years in DSS custody while armed bandits are invited to sit at negotiation tables.
He stressed that keeping Kanu behind bars while offering dialogue to bandits destroys fairness, justice, and national unity.
Kanu, arrested abroad in June 2021, has faced terrorism and treason charges despite multiple court rulings ordering his release, including a 2022 Court of Appeal judgment.
IPOB, founded by Kanu, seeks an independent Biafran state, a campaign outlawed by the Nigerian government.
Despite global calls for his release from rights groups and political figures, the government has maintained that his charges are too serious to drop.
Critics argue that repeated amnesty and peace talks with armed groups embolden criminals instead of stopping violence in northern Nigeria.
For over a decade, banditry has devastated communities in the region, leaving trails of kidnappings, killings, and displacements while wrecking local economies.
Senator Shehu Sani and other activists have echoed Omirhobo’s position, urging that violent gang leaders face prosecution instead of rewards.
The contrast between jailing a separatist leader and offering peace to armed bandits has fueled fresh debate over fairness and the credibility of Nigeria’s justice system.
Article updated 1 week ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
