The life sentence handed down to Nnamdi Kanu is a stark reminder of the double standards that plague the Nigerian judicial system. While the NLM does not endorse violence or secession, we cannot ignore the glaring disparity in how the state treats political agitators versus actual terrorists.
Bandits who kidnap school children, herdsmen who massacre entire villages, and terrorists who have turned the North East into a war zone are often "rehabilitated" and "reintegrated." Yet, a political agitator is slammed with a life sentence.
This judgment is not about justice; it is about suppression. It is a message from the state that dissent will be crushed with an iron fist, while mass murder is treated with kid gloves.
The NLM calls for: - A complete overhaul of the judicial process to ensure equal justice for all. - The immediate prosecution of known sponsors of terrorism and banditry. - A political solution to the agitations in the South East, rather than a purely military or judicial one.
Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done. In Nigeria today, justice is blind only to the crimes of the powerful and the violent.
