Abuja, Nigeria – Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore on Thursday accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of gross hypocrisy in its handling of criminal pardons, pointing out that while Nnamdi Kanu remains in detention without conviction, drug dealers, murderers and bribers have been granted clemency.
Speaking at Gudu Market ahead of a planned protest under the banner #FreeNnamdiKanuNow, Sowore challenged the rationale behind recent presidential pardons, describing them as selective, unjust, and politically motivated. He referenced the recent pardon of 53 convicted drug dealers, a woman convicted of killing her husband, and the pardon of Farouk, who he referred to as “the number one bribe taker” in Nigeria.
Sowore accused the government of keeping Kanu — regarded by his supporters as a political detainee — in detention despite a lack of evidence of criminal wrongdoing. He said the agitation for Kanu’s release transcends ethnicity, calling it a fight for justice for all Nigerians.
He declared his willingness to lead the movement for Kanu’s freedom, condemning claims that the campaign is politically motivated. He invited Nigerians from all regions and backgrounds to join the planned protest, scheduled for Monday, beginning at Unity Fountain, Abuja, before proceeding to Aso Rock.
Sowore highlighted what he described as stark double standards in the government’s treatment of criminals. “If anybody should know about criminality, it’s drug dealers, and the President pardoned 53 of them last week,” he said. He also questioned why murderers and bribe-takers have been pardoned while Kanu, abducted from Kenya according to some accounts, remains behind bars.
He took aim at political leaders from the South-East, accusing them of prioritizing self-interest over justice, and said some use court processes selectively — invoking due process when it benefits them and ignoring it when it does not.
Sowore said he is not asking for clemency or amnesty, as those apply to convicts, but rather pushing for justice — noting that even a DSS officer reportedly admitted that no incriminating evidence was found on Kanu. He questioned how Kanu can be treated as a terrorist under such circumstances.
He recalled that he and Kanu were jointly charged with treason in 2019, but alleged the government quietly dropped or abandoned the cases. “That’s how you know a failed government and a corrupt system,” he said.
Sowore urged Nigerians to rise above tribal lines and stand against impunity. “If Kanu belonged to a more favoured group, he would have been released by now — perhaps even offered a government appointment,” he maintained.
He further contrasted the treatment of former militant agitators in the Niger Delta who once attacked security infrastructure: “All those who blew up pipelines and killed soldiers are now billionaires. They were flown in presidential jets and celebrated,” he asserted.
The protest movement he leads calls for the unconditional release of Kanu, the end of perceived selective justice, and an end to impunity in Nigeria’s justice system.