By Deborah Nnamdi
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of terrorism in a landmark judgment on Thursday that ended years-long legal battle.
Justice James Omotosho sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on counts one, four, five and six, explaining that he opted for life instead of the death penalty. The judge also imposed 20 years imprisonment on Count Three and five years on Count Seven, both without an option of fine, and ordered that all terms run concurrently “to extend the mercy.”
“I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment for counts one, four, five, and six, instead of death sentence,” Omotosho said. “With respect to Count Three, he is hereby sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without no option of fine. For Count Seven, he is sentenced to five years imprisonment without no option of fine. To extend the mercy, I hereby order that the sentence shall run concurrently.”
The judge directed that Kanu be kept in a secure facility suitable for his custody, and barred him from access to digital devices unless closely monitored by the Office of the National Security Adviser. He also ordered that the IPOB leader’s transmitter be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The court had earlier found Kanu guilty on all seven counts, holding that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. On Count One, Justice Omotosho said the defendant “failed to respond to the broadcast accusation and deliberately refused to enter his defence,” adding that evidence showed Kanu ordered the sit-at-home directive in the South-East.
He said Kanu committed an act of terrorism “by making a broadcast threatening that people would die and the world would be at a standstill,” noting that the defendant “knew what he was doing and was bent on carrying out the threats without consideration for the lives of his own people.”
While reading transcripts from Kanu’s broadcasts, Justice Omotosho highlighted comments in which he urged his followers to attack security operatives. Quoting the defendant, he said: “Go to the bush. You need to cut them off from the back, ambush them, take their guns from them and kill them. They are animals and not human beings. They may be wearing uniforms like police or soldier, but they are animals. Disarm them and kill them.”
The judge also cited threats contained in the recordings: “If you allow them to escape, your life is over, and I want, I want Lagos Airport to be on flame. Breach the perimeter fence and burn down the Lagos airport… Set Muritala Muhammed Airport on fire. Set it ablaze right now.”
Justice Omotosho further held that the prosecution proved Kanu belonged to IPOB and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), both of which had been proscribed. He classified Kanu as an “international terrorist,” saying evidence showed he threatened to bomb the British High Commission, kill the then British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing, and attack the American Embassy.
He ruled that these threats fell under international terrorism, stating: “Leaving the defendant to continue his terrorist activity would have led to an international incident involving Nigeria and other foreign nations, who are good partners with Nigeria.”
Rejecting Kanu’s claim of being a freedom fighter, the judge said IPOB, like Boko Haram and other groups, had “inflicted terror on Nigerians and destroyed lives and property.” He added that while the African Charter acknowledges self-determination, it must not contradict the Nigerian Constitution, which provides that the country is “one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state.”
“Terrorism has become a monster in the world today,” he said, adding that Kanu’s broadcasts had brought “bloodshed of innocent citizens as well as security personnel.”
Earlier in the proceedings, there was a brief confrontation when Kanu protested that he had not filed his final written address, shouting: “You don’t know the law. Show me where you have the right to waive my right to a final address. Show me what the Constitution says, you cannot show me!” He was later removed from the courtroom on the judge’s orders, and the judgment was delivered in his absence.
Before sentencing, counsel for the Federal Government, Gboyegba Awomolo (SAN), urged the court to impose the death penalty, arguing that the families of 75 slain officers “would find succour in the verdict.” He said Kanu “demonstrated no restraint for the Administration of Criminal Justice Act” and should show remorse rather than arrogance. A federal lawmaker representing Kanu’s constituency, Obinna Aguocha, pleaded for leniency.
Reacting to the judgment, Kanu’s consultant, Aloy Ejimakor, vowed to appeal, describing the ruling as “a symbol of the travesty of justice that everybody has suspected.” He maintained that Kanu was convicted “for what he said, not what he did,” adding that the sentence was “overboard, cruel and unusual.”
“We are heading to the Court of Appeal,” he said. “By God Almighty, Nnamdi Kanu will not stand convicted.”
Kanu’s legal troubles date back to his arrest in October 2015, marking nearly a decade of one of Nigeria’s most contentious and politically charged trials, punctuated by international disputes, human rights concerns and escalating violence in the South-East.
