₦airaland Forum

The leader of Niger Delta Forum Comrade Sunday Briggs speaking with media on 13th October, 2025 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has strongly warned against the call by Omoyele Sowore for the #MNKOct20 Campaign # with attendant solidarity gestures anywhere in the region.

Briggs posited that the planned course of action is hinged on the argument by Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, that Kanu’s trial is illegal due to his extraordinary rendition from Kenya, for which a counterperspective holds that Nigeria retains the legal authority to prosecute Kanu for alleged crimes, and halting the trial would undermine justice and national security.Briggs’ counter argument to Ejimakor’s claims is grounded in legal, practical, and contextual considerations.

1. Nigeria’s Prosecutorial Jurisdiction Remains Valid:
Ejimakor asserts that Kanu’s rendition from Kenya—a process he equates to the 1984 Umaru Dikko kidnapping—strips Nigeria of jurisdiction under international law. However, this overlooks established legal precedents where states have prosecuted individuals despite irregular extraditions. Courts globally, including in Nigeria, often prioritize domestic law over the circumstances of a defendant’s return, provided the charges are valid. The Nigerian Supreme Court’s December 2023 ruling, which overturned the Court of Appeal’s acquittal of Kanu, reaffirmed this by remanding the case for trial, implicitly endorsing Nigeria’s jurisdiction. Unlike the Dikko case, where no trial proceeded due to the failed kidnapping, Kanu is physically in Nigeria and faces serious charges like treasonable felony and terrorism, which are grounded in Nigerian law (e.g., Terrorism Prevention Act 2011). Dismissing these charges solely on rendition grounds risks creating a loophole where grave offenses go unpunished.

2. Extraordinary Rendition Does Not Automatically Nullify Trials
Ejimakor cites international law to argue that extraordinary rendition invalidates prosecutorial power. While rendition violates norms like the UN Convention Against Torture, international case law—e.g., the U.S. case United States v. Alvarez-Machain (1992)—shows that courts may still proceed with trials if the defendant is present and due process is followed. Nigeria’s judiciary has mechanisms, such as the ongoing trial-within-trial to assess Kanu’s alleged confessions, to ensure fairness. Ejimakor’s call to halt the trial entirely dismisses these safeguards and assumes bad faith without evidence that the judicial process itself is corrupted beyond the rendition.

3. Monitoring the Trial Promotes Accountability, Not Complicity
Ejimakor criticizes those monitoring Kanu’s trial, claiming it legitimizes an unlawful process. On the contrary, civil society oversight ensures transparency and pressures the judiciary to adhere to due process. Groups monitoring the trial—such as human rights organizations—aim to hold the government accountable, not endorse its actions.

Their presence could expose any procedural flaws, benefiting Kanu’s defense. Dismissing these efforts as misguided ignores their role in upholding fairness, especially given Kanu’s history of alleging judicial bias, which led to Justice Binta Nyako’s recusal in 2024.

4. National Security Concerns Justify Prosecution
Kanu’s charges stem from IPOB’s activities, including alleged incitement of violence and attacks on security forces, which have destabilized southeastern Nigeria. The prosecution argues that Kanu’s Radio Biafra broadcasts and IPOB’s “sit-at-home” orders fueled unrest, with tangible impacts like economic disruption and loss of life. Ejimakor’s demand for Kanu’s immediate release sidesteps these allegations, which the state views as threats to national unity. While rendition raises ethical questions, abandoning the trial could embolden separatist actions and weaken Nigeria’s ability to address security challenges in a volatile region.

5. The #MNKOct20 Campaign Risks Escalating Tensions
Ejimakor’s push for the #MNKOct20 campaign to demand Kanu’s release may inflame already tense relations in Nigeria’s southeast. IPOB’s history of confrontations with security forces has led to violence, including reported clashes during sit-at-home orders. A mass mobilization targeting Aso Rock could provoke a heavy-handed government response, further polarizing the region and undermining dialogue. A legal resolution through the courts, however imperfect, offers a structured path to address Kanu’s case without risking broader conflict.

Concluding, Briggs averred that Ejimakor’s argument hinges on the moral and legal outrage of Kanu’s rendition but overlooks Nigeria’s sovereign right to prosecute serious crimes, the judiciary’s capacity to ensure due process, and the broader implications of halting the trial. Rather than dismissing the trial as illegitimate, stakeholders should focus on ensuring it meets international standards of fairness while addressing the underlying security concerns. The #MNKOct20 campaign, while emotionally compelling, risks derailing a legal process that could clarify Kanu’s culpability or exoneration. Continued trial monitoring and advocacy for judicial reform are more constructive than calls to abandon the case entirely.
Consequently, the forum is disassociating the entire Niger Delta region from the protest anchored by Sowore and his co-travelers

https://www.arewareportersng.com/niger-delta-forum-warns-against-mnkoct20-campaign-in-the-region/

Na FTC just dey my mind today
Lmao

Omoyele just want to dent his image with this unnecessary protest.

Sycophants everywhere

Wetin concern me


Kanu is an Igbo man and we know quiet well that it is a crime to be

Tinubu's forum in Niger delta has spoken

Well well well its alright let's see

Case that have lingered for how many years?
If the court says free him, free him
If you have a case against, bring it up,


No region will be happy having their own treated this way when bandits are bringing their sophisticated ammunition for a handshake with government and criminals are getting pardons from president

It is looking more like persecution than justice

I hate ipob, same way I hate injustice.
For those who support this injustice, I will always say it
On daily basis, injustice comes for nigerians irrespective of tribe because the oppressors known that nigerians will support any injustice against their so called rival tribes

If you waste your life for Niger Delta, City Boy JAGABAN no send you oooo

Apc handwork. The same niger delta group that cant talk when bandits are openly carrying weapons

Another bunch of dunces ..... What is their business with the protest? Even though I don't support the protest for some reasons, they don't have the right to make warnings..

SOWORE is only doing this protest to be relevant. All this is preparation for 2027 election

richiemcgold:
Omoyele just want to dent his image with this unnecessary protest.

Dent his image lol. 😁. Person dey work for him stomach. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 This has been what puts food on his table.

Make SW no join the m.umu protest.

WE MUST MATCH ON,
WHAT IS GOOD FOR PETER IS ALSO GOOD FOR JOHN,
if lives really matters to dem,this government would have done something tangible to end these senseless killings

If not of this 20 character i would've just say thunder faya who ever is against MNK freedom

Worse criminals had just been pardoned, why is MNK still being held?

The protest is a good move. The Judicial process has been arbitrary.

ogugwa1992:
The leader of Niger Delta Forum Comrade Sunday Briggs speaking with media on 13th October, 2025 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has strongly warned against the call by Omoyele Sowore for the #MNKOct20 Campaign # with attendant solidarity gestures anywhere in the region.



https://www.arewareportersng.com/niger-delta-forum-warns-against-mnkoct20-campaign-in-the-region/

If you’re starting a protest start it in your state na only this Nigeria I for don see say dem go tell you not to spoil their state as if we are not in same country, all this one’s nor know where they pain them, govt is not respecting the rule of law in the country yet some people can’t see that facts, Nnamdi Kanu has been discharged and acquitted of any charges against him by the courts but the government refused to obey, that’s a slap in the face of the Judiciary for being oppressed by executive arms of govt

rofanx13:
Sycophants everywhere

Wetin concern me


Kanu is an Igbo man and we know quiet well that it is a crime to be

the man is very right cos there is huge difference between we south south and south east. how can aguyi ironsi and ojukwu denied Niger delta republic and later same ojukwu and the terrorist nmandi kanu now want Biafra republic. no south south will fight for igbos to obtain Biafra. only ignorant ones who didn't know the havoc of aguyi and Ojukwu who believe one Nigeria then because they were in charge of power but when they didn't get power again, the foolish ojukwu declared Biafra. Isaac boro boys were killed by those two idiots and already plan to kill him before the coup that eliminated Ironsi. you igbos can protest in your region but cant take the nonsense to south south. as close as Asaba to onitsha, dem no born ipob to carry out their activities.

richiemcgold:
Omoyele just want to dent his image with this unnecessary protest.

Mixed feelings too.
But politicians can swim in any water to reach their goal. Someone did protest in 2012 too and later became pres. The whole vibe is just messy.

Very unnecessary protest. Lagos state should warn against it. Other States should follow suit. Let them protest in SE. This protest sowore is touting just doesn't make sense. Even PO knows better not to encourage such.

which wan is Niger Delta Forum, an unknown entity.

Some yorubas hate everything Igbo, yet are dont want the igbos they hate to leave.

Any Yoruba man supporting this protest,Iku Oro lo ma Ku t'ebi t'ara.

Nigerian have short memories.

Many suddenly have forgotten about the lives and properties and destruction this man caused?

So sad! I dont support his continued law debacle, but he should be made to pay for the loss of lives he initiated. It is called Justice!

richiemcgold:
Omoyele just want to dent his image with this unnecessary protest.

No worry if them put am for him place.. him
Eye go clear.

richiemcgold:
Omoyele just want to dent his image with this unnecessary protest.

Tinubu image never scatter. Someone who can't go to U.S,, make una dey get small sense abeg

No problem. I call on all my fellow Obidients to honour this clarion call and come out in their numbers to protest against the continued incarceration of our mentor and great leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
We shall let Rivers people know that Nigeria belongs to all of us, no man born of a woman can stop this protest!

Leave him alone… soonest he will get sink…

richiemcgold:
Omoyele just want to dent his image with this unnecessary protest.

PDPdestroyer:
No problem. I call on all my fellow Obidients to honour this clarion call and come out in their numbers to protest against the continued incarceration of our mentor and great leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
We shall let Rivers people know that Nigeria belongs to all of us, no man born of a woman can stop this protest!

Yes we shall all come out to support