The family of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has said that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was unlikely to honour his scheduled court appearance on Friday, November 7, 2025 due to difficulties in preparing his case.
Spokesman of the Okwu-Kanu family, Prince Emmanuel Kanu disclosed this development in a press release Thursday night, saying that the Department of State Service(DSS) should be held responsible if Kanu failed to appear in court.
According to him, the DSS “is deliberately stopping (Kanu) from preparing his defence in court” hence the possibility that the Biafra activist would not be ready for court appearance.
Prince Emmanuel said there was need for the Nigerian public and the international community to be aware of the obstructive activities of the DSS because the same people that made it impossible for Kanu to appear in court would turn round and accuse him of disrespecting the court.
He said: “In the last few days, the DSS has made it almost impossible for Mazi Kanu to have proper access to his lawyers, family members, and key witnesses.
“The DSS has also refused to allow him to file the court documents he needs for his case coming up on Friday, 7 November 2025.
“Because of these actions, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu may not be able to appear in court on Friday, not because he does not want to, but because he has been denied the chance to get ready and defend himself”.
The Kanu family spokesman alleged that the DSS was blocking Kanu from fair hearing in the case filed against him by the Nigerian government, by restricting his visitors, including family members, and lawyers.
He listed other alleged DSS obstructive activities to include recording Kanu’s meetings with lawyers and family, instead of allowing private and free discussions as required by law.
Prince Emmanuel further lamented that the DSS has denied his detained senior brother access to a computer and printer “necessary for the preparation of his processes and blocking him from filing his own court papers”.
He also alleged that the DSS declined to take Kanu to the court registry to submit the documents he intends to use for his defence.
“These actions are against the Nigerian Constitution and basic human rights. Every accused person has the right to facilities to help him prepare adequately and to interact freely with their lawyers, family, witnesses, prepare for court, and defend themselves — but the DSS is stopping Mazi Kanu from doing so,” Prince Emmanuel said.
He stated that “what the DSS is doing is unfair, unlawful, and intentional”, adding that all the obstructions and distractions were aimed at “making it difficult for (Kanu) to defend himself so that the case can be decided against him”.
“If Mazi Nnamdi Kanu cannot appear in court or defend himself, the DSS and the Nigerian Government should be held responsible.
“They are frustrating him, ignoring court orders, and breaking his rights. We are issuing this warning now before they start peddling their propaganda through ( pro-government news outlets) that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is disrespectful to the court by declining to appear”.
The Kanu family called on the international community and relevant organisations, including the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the Commonwealth, human rights groups, and
all people who believe in justice “to pay close attention to what is happening”.
“The Nigerian Government cannot claim to follow the rule of law while silencing a defendant and blocking his right to a fair hearing,” Prince Emmanuel said.
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