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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe statement has triggered reactions across Nigeria\u2019s political and legal landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged restraint and respect for judicial processes. \u201cLet the courts do their work. Political figures must not inflame tensions around sensitive trials,\u201d he said in a statement issued through his media office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, emphasized the importance of due process. \u201cThe rule of law must prevail. If a public official is subpoenaed, they are duty-bound to appear. It\u2019s not a matter of choice,\u201d he said during a legal symposium in Abuja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activists and civil society groups welcomed Wike\u2019s remarks, interpreting them as a commitment to transparency. \u201cThis is a rare moment of accountability. If Wike testifies, it could shed light on the political dimensions of Kanu\u2019s detention,\u201d said Aisha Lawal, director of the Civic Integrity Network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, others cautioned against politicizing the trial. \u201cWe must separate legal proceedings from political theater,\u201d said Chinedu Eze, a constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate. \u201cThe court must remain impartial, regardless of who is called to testify.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to which Wike is aligned, expressed mixed reactions. APC youth leader Ibrahim Musa said, \u201cWike\u2019s readiness to testify shows respect for the rule of law, but we must avoid turning the courtroom into a political battleground.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kanu\u2019s trial, which resumed Friday, centers on terrorism-related charges stemming from his leadership of IPOB, a group seeking independence for southeastern Nigeria. His legal team has argued that the charges are politically motivated and that his detention violates international human rights norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Observers say Wike\u2019s potential testimony could carry significant weight, depending on the nature of the questions and the court\u2019s direction. The trial continues next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ABUJA, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 Nigeria\u2019s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said Friday he would appear as a witness in the ongoing trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), if formally subpoenaed by the court. Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike responded to reports […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/FCT-Minister-Nyesom-Wike.jpeg?fit=1080%2C700&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22078,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22075\/revisions\/22078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}