Several United States–based advocacy organisations have dismissed as “fictional” the claim that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, plotted to bomb the United States and British missions in Nigeria.
The groups said the allegation, which appeared in the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, was never mentioned at any point during Kanu’s trial.
At a joint press conference held in the US, the organisations — led by Dr. Sylvester Onyia, President of the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID); Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa of Rising Sun; and Ben Nwankwo, Executive Director, Ambassador for Self-Determination — described the judge’s claim as a “manufactured lie” inserted to demonise Kanu.
In a statement titled “Justice Omotosho’s Fictional ‘Bomb Plot’ Against US and UK Missions: A Manufactured Lie That Collapses His Judgment Against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the coalition accused the judge of introducing into the judgment a narrative that never appeared in court.
They said no charge, witness testimony, document, exhibit, audio, video, or intelligence report ever mentioned a plot to bomb US or UK embassies.
“We state openly and without fear of contradiction: This allegation was never charged, never testified to, never tendered in evidence, and never mentioned by any witness in the entire trial,” the group said. “It is a pure invention of the judge.”
The coalition added that the defence had no opportunity to challenge the claim because it “never arose in court,” insisting that the judge “casually wrote in this wild story” despite the absence of evidence.
To prove their position, the groups announced plans to publish the full certified transcripts of the proceedings. According to them, the records will show that no witness or document made reference to any threat against foreign missions.
“The so-called ‘bomb plot’ exists only in the judgment, not in the evidence,” they stated.
They also argued that the allegation was illogical, noting that Kanu has openly associated with the United States in the past, including organising a Trump solidarity rally in Port Harcourt in 2017 and attending a Trump campaign event in Iowa in 2020.
“These are not the actions of a man plotting to bomb US or UK missions,” the coalition said. “For a Nigerian judge to twist this history into a phantom terror plot is not only dishonest; it is dangerous.”
The groups said Justice Omotosho’s conduct undermines the entire judgment, violates Kanu’s right to fair hearing, and amounts to a judge “descending into the arena of fabrication.”
They maintained that the introduction of an unproven allegation was enough to nullify the judgment and trigger disciplinary action by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The coalition warned that the implications go beyond Kanu’s case, saying the conduct raises serious concerns about trust in the Nigerian judiciary.
Their next steps, they said, include releasing the transcripts, filing appeals, petitioning the NJC, and briefing US and UK authorities to counter what they described as a false narrative.
“The attempt to paint Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a man who planned to bomb US and UK missions is a fallacy from the pit of propaganda, not from a court of law,” they added.
“We are determined to expose this fabrication with documents, transcripts, and the cold, hard truth.”
