THE MAN WHO DEFENDED HIMSELF

(It was an interesting day at The federal High Court, Abuja, Nigeria. The courtroom is filled to capacity. Security men are everywhere. The atmosphere is tense — heavy with whispers, eyes, and fear as everyone wonder and mutter how a man discharged his lawyers to defend himself in a court. Cameras flash as the judge enters. A long silence fills the room.)

COURT CLERK:

All rise for His Lordship, Justice Ibrahim Musa presiding.

(Everyone rises. Justice Musa sits. The clerk nods. People sit back down, murmuring softly.)

JUSTICE MUSA:

This court is now in session. Case number FHC/ABJ/2034/2025 — Federal Republic of Nigeria versus Nnamdi Kanu.

(Pause. The camera flashes again. Nnamdi Kanu, dressed in white, stands up slowly. His eyes are burning — calm yet fierce. The entire courtroom watches him.)

JUSTICE MUSA:

Mr. Kanu, I understand you have chosen to dismiss your legal counsel and represent yourself.

NNAMDI KANU:

Yes, My Lord. I am defending myself because my lawyers are too afraid to mention names. They fear the truth. But I — I will say it live here in this courtroom, before this nation and before God.

(Gasps echo across the room. Journalists scribble quickly. A soldier shifts uneasily at the back.)

JUSTICE MUSA:

Mr. Kanu, this is a court of law, not a political podium. You will restrict yourself to legal arguments and facts related to your case.

NNAMDI KANU:

Facts? Then let us begin with facts, My Lord. The fact that Nigeria’s legal system has become a marketplace — where judgments are auctioned and justice is sold to the highest bidder. Should I start with the names?

(Murmurs spread across the courtroom. Justice Musa strikes the gavel.)

JUSTICE MUSA:

Order! This court will not tolerate—

NNAMDI KANU (interrupting):

Then Nigeria must not tolerate silence anymore! You cannot imprison truth, My Lord. It breaks the walls eventually.

(Outside the courtroom — Lagos. Oba Rilwan Akiolu sits in his palace, watching the court proceedings live on TV. Two chiefs sit beside him.)

OBA AKIOLU:

This boy is playing with fire, yet I see the fire consuming those who lit it. Nigeria is standing on gunpowder. If this court silences him, the explosion will not wait.

CHIEF 1:

Kabiyes, he is too daring.

OBA AKIOLU:

Daring men are born when ordinary men are beaten too long. When truth becomes expensive, rebels become prophets. Mark my words — if they silence this man, the silence will speak louder than his voice ever could.

(He turns to his TV again.)

(Back in court. The atmosphere grows hotter. A few diplomats are present. Soldiers whisper. The press room is packed. Kanu stands again, holding a document.)

NNAMDI KANU:

My Lord, I stand here today not as a rebel, but as a witness of a nation’s hypocrisy. You want to try me for treason? Then try every man who has stolen from this country. Try every leader who swore an oath to serve and ended up serving only their pockets.

(He flips the paper open.)

NNAMDI KANU (continuing):

This document — marked confidential — was sent to my legal team before they ran away. It contains bank transfers from defense contractors under the supervision of General Buratai — names, dates, and ghost companies. Billions meant for military operations that ended in Dubai real estate.

(The courtroom bursts into chaos. The judge hits his gavel repeatedly.)

JUSTICE MUSA:

Order! Mr. Kanu, you are out of line! This is contempt—

NNAMDI KANU:

Contempt? I have contempt for lies, not for law. The law is pure, but your courts are dirty. You say I’m out of line, yet the whole system is a crooked line pretending to be straight!

(The judge is silent. His hands tremble slightly. The Attorney-General leans to whisper to a government official at the back.)

NNAMDI KANU (pointing at the AG):

Don’t whisper, sir. Speak loud! Did your ministry not approve the contracts for the same soldiers who disappeared civilians? Did your government not appoint judges through political loyalty instead of integrity? You know it. I know it. Nigeria knows it.

(The courtroom becomes pin-drop silent.)

NNAMDI KANU (lowering his tone):

When I’m done with Nigeria in this court case, then I can die in peace. Because it’s better to die speaking truth than to live crawling under deceit.

(Gasps. Someone faints. A police officer runs to the back.)

(Flashback scene — a dim office in Abuja. Two lawyers, Kanu’s former attorneys, are seen arguing.)

LAWYER 1:

We can’t continue this. The moment he insists on mentioning those names, we are done.

LAWYER 2:

He doesn’t care anymore. He said, “If truth kills me, at least I’ll die clean.”

LAWYER 1:

Do you realize how many people will go down if he opens his mouth in court? This is not just about him — it’s about the whole system!

LAWYER 2:

Then maybe the whole system needs to fall.

(The lights fade as a heavy silence lingers.)

(Court resumes after a short recess. Outside, protesters gather with placards. “JUSTICE OR NOTHING!” “LET KANU SPEAK!” “NIGERIA NEEDS CLEANSING!”)

(In court, Kanu sits alone, flipping through his papers. The judge enters again.)

JUSTICE MUSA:

Mr. Kanu, this court will allow you to continue, but you must understand the implications of your words.

NNAMDI KANU:

I understand perfectly, My Lord. I have nothing more to lose.

(He stands up and begins pacing.)

NNAMDI KANU:

Let us talk about the judiciary — the broken spine of this nation. Judges who take phone calls from governors before rulings. Lawyers who charge millions to bribe registrars. Police officers who alter case files overnight. We have become a theatre of deception, where justice is a script written by power.

(He points toward the press corner.)

NNAMDI KANU:

And the media — your microphones are owned by those you should expose! You praise corruption with polished English, and you call it journalism.

(Some journalists look down in shame.)

NNAMDI KANU (raising his voice):

Tell me, My Lord, how can a man defend himself in a country that has no conscience?

(Silence. Justice Musa removes his glasses, sighing deeply.)

JUSTICE MUSA:

Mr. Kanu, you speak boldly, but this is a court of law—

NNAMDI KANU (interrupting):

And law dies when truth is afraid!

(He slams his hand on the table. The courtroom jolts.)

NNAMDI KANU (continuing):

When they killed unarmed protesters, you called it maintaining peace. When they looted billions, you called it politics. When I speak truth, you call it treason. Then who should fear the law — the liar or the truthful man?

(People in the courtroom begin to clap before the judge silences them again.)

(Nighttime. The courtroom is empty except for Justice Musa, sitting alone in thought. His clerk enters.)

COURT CLERK:

My Lord, the press is outside waiting for a statement.

JUSTICE MUSA:

Let them wait. What can I say? The boy has spoken what many of us think but dare not utter.

COURT CLERK:

Then what happens tomorrow?

JUSTICE MUSA:

Tomorrow? Tomorrow, Nigeria will wake up pretending nothing happened. That’s what we do best.

(He stands and looks toward the window, watching protesters chanting outside.)

JUSTICE MUSA (softly):

But maybe, just maybe, a storm has begun.

(Lagos — Oba Akiolu addresses a secret meeting of traditional rulers.)

OBA AKIOLU:

Gentlemen, the courtroom is now the battleground of Nigeria’s conscience. If this man falls, justice falls with him. Let the government know — the day truth becomes a crime, the throne itself is in danger.

OBA OF IJEBU:

Kabiyesi, they will not listen. They are afraid of him.

OBA AKIOLU:

Then let them fear! It is time they taste the fear they have fed this nation.

(He turns to his chiefs.)

OBA AKIOLU (continuing):

Tell Abuja — Oba Rilwan Akiolu has warned. A nation that buries truth is already digging its own grave.

(Court resumes for the final day. The air is electric. Supporters sing softly outside. Soldiers stand tense. Kanu walks in slowly, calm, resolved.)

NNAMDI KANU:

My Lord, I do not seek acquittal. I seek awakening. If speaking truth is a crime, then I plead guilty with joy.

(He pauses, looking around the courtroom.)

NNAMDI KANU (continuing):

I have seen men sell their conscience for power. I have seen courts twist truth for money. I have seen politicians hide under religion and tribe to divide the poor. But let the world record this day — that a man stood up, alone, and spoke what a nation refused to hear.

(He drops his papers on the table. Silence fills the room.)

NNAMDI KANU:

When I’m done with Nigeria, then I can die in peace.

(He looks directly at the judge.)

NNAMDI KANU:

But My Lord, remember this — when truth becomes treason, then freedom is already dead.

(He sits. The judge covers his face with his hands. The courtroom erupts — some weeping, others chanting his name. Soldiers try to calm the crowd. The sound fades into echoes.)

That day, Nigeria trembled — not because of war, but because one man spoke without permission. The files he mentioned vanished days later. The headlines were censored. Yet whispers continued, from Abuja to Lagos, from palaces to streets.

Oba Akiolu’s warning spread like fire: “A nation that silences truth prepares its own funeral.”

The court never gave its final verdict. But in the hearts of millions, the judgment was already sealed — the system was guilty.

And though the man who defended himself sat behind bars, his words escaped every wall.

(Lights fade. Silence. Then — the sound of a crowd chanting from afar: “TRUTH WILL NOT DIE!”)

As narrated by @alexdphenom