ABUJA – The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment after convicting him on seven counts of terrorism-related charges.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment on Thursday, concluding a ten-year legal process that saw the IPOB leader arrested in Kenya under controversial circumstances and extradited to Nigeria in 2021.
The judgment was delivered in Kanu’s absence after the presiding judge ordered security agents to remove him from the courtroom for what was described as “unruly behaviour” during the proceedings.
Justice Omotosho stated that several broadcasts by Kanu through Radio Biafra constituted acts of terrorism, noting that his rhetoric and intentions were “anchored on violence” and included orders to kill security personnel.
The court specifically cited Kanu’s sit-at-home orders in southeastern states as violating citizens’ freedom of movement and amounting to terrorism, emphasizing that the IPOB leader “lacked the constitutional power to order people to sit at home.”
In opting for life imprisonment instead of the death penalty sought by prosecutors, Justice Omotosho noted that capital punishment “is now being frowned upon by the international community,” while also observing that Kanu had shown no remorse throughout the trial.
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