This was contained in a statement issued by Kanu’s Special Counsel, Barr Aloy Ejimakor. Ejimakor referred to Mr Chigozie Nnabugwu as the one who made the call when he appeared on News Central TV. Nnabugwu had allegedly urged the Government of Nigeria “to kill our client (Kanu) for normalcy to return to the Southeast.”
The statement read, “The video bearing this statement was published at 1:14 PM on 19th July 2026 by News Central Television at its verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, monitored at: @NewsCentralTV, and it went viral from that source.
“To be sure, this call for extrajudicial killing is reckless, irresponsible, and unlawful. And it constitutes a clear threat to life and risks inciting a breakdown of public order.”
Ejimakor said the call strained the boundaries set under Section 24(1) of the Cybercrimes Act, which “criminalises the knowing or intentional transmission of messages via electronic means (including those amplified on broadcast platforms and social media) that pose a threat to life or are intended to cause a breakdown of law and order, which carries a fine of up to ₦7m or imprisonment of up to three years or both”.
He said additional liabilities would likely be triggered under the Criminal Code for incitement to violence and related offences.
The counsel said by airing and platforming “this inflammatory content without due regard for its potential to incite violence or threaten public peace, News Central TV may face regulatory sanctions for breach of broadcast codes on incitement and public order”.
According to the statement, “It may also attract accessory liability or contributory exposure under relevant laws. Broadcasters enabling hate speech and calls for extrajudicial killing risk severe regulatory sanctions and other countervailing measures.”
Ejimakor said demanding an extrajudicial execution while legal proceedings remain before the court directly subverted the judicial process and potentially constituted actionable contempt of court. He said the team were reviewing all available legal options, including formal complaints to the appropriate authorities.
The team demanded that Mr Chigozie Nnabugwu issue an immediate public retraction of his statement, and that News Central TV tender an unqualified televised apology for airing such dangerous content.
They added that the press release issued on the matter “serves as a pre-action notice of all legal actions that will ensue if Mr Nnabugwu and News Central TV fail to take immediate remedial measures”.
