Full Story: Court Sentences Nnamdi Kanu to Life Imprisonment on Terrorism Charges

A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment after finding him guilty on all seven terrorism charges brought by the federal government.

Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment on Thursday, ending a legal battle that began with Kanu’s first arrest in 2015 and later spanned years of detention, diplomatic disputes, and appeals. The judge held that the prosecution “proved its case beyond reasonable doubt” and that Kanu failed to controvert the allegations laid before the court.

Life Term Instead of Death Penalty

In his sentencing, Justice Omotosho imposed life imprisonment for counts one, four, five, and six. He handed down a 20-year sentence on count three and five years on count seven. All sentences will run concurrently.

The federal government had urged the court to apply the death sentence as prescribed under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act (2013). But Omotosho said he opted against capital punishment “as an act of mercy,” citing the global shift away from the death penalty and the need to temper justice with humanity.

He directed that Kanu be held in a secure facility where his access to electronic communication would be restricted and monitored by the Office of the National Security Adviser. Devices recovered from him, including what the court described as an illicit transmitter, were ordered forfeited to the government.

Judge Labels Kanu an ‘International Terrorist’

Reading from portions of broadcasts tendered as evidence, the judge said Kanu used his platform to issue threats, encourage violence, and direct attacks that resulted in harm to civilians and security agencies.

He cited multiple statements ordering followers to ambush security personnel, seize weapons, and carry out destructive acts, including threats to burn down the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and attack diplomatic missions.

According to the judgment, Kanu’s instructions to target the British High Commission, its former head Catriona Laing, and the US Embassy placed his actions within the scope of “international terrorism,” as defined under Nigerian law.

“The attacks he encouraged were not expressions of political agitation,” the judge said. “They were acts consistent with terrorism and carried grave implications for Nigeria’s foreign partners.”

Court Rejects Claim of Self-Determination

Justice Omotosho dismissed Kanu’s assertion that his activities were part of a legitimate struggle for self-determination. He explained that while the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights recognizes the right to self-determination, Nigeria’s constitution defines the country as an indivisible state. Anyone pursuing secession, he said, must do so through constitutional amendment, not force or violent mobilization.

He likened IPOB’s operations to other armed extremist groups and held that the movement’s actions had caused “significant loss of life, property destruction, and disruption of normal life in the South-East.”

Nnamdi Kanu sentenced to life imprisonment over terrorism convictions

Earlier in the day, proceedings briefly stalled when Kanu protested that the court intended to deliver judgment before he had filed his final written address. Raising his voice, he challenged the judge’s decision, but Justice Omotosho ordered security operatives to remove him from the courtroom, ruling that judgment would be read in his absence.

Before sentencing, lead government counsel Gboyega Awomolo (SAN) urged the court to impose the maximum punishment, insisting that families of slain security personnel “deserve justice.” He described Kanu as unremorseful and argued that his conduct throughout the trial reflected disregard for legal processes.

Defence Vows to Appeal

Aloy Ejimakor, a consultant to Kanu and part of the legal team, rejected the ruling and announced an imminent appeal. He described the judgment as “a grave miscarriage of justice,” arguing that the conviction was based on speech, not physical actions.

Ejimakor insisted that the prosecution failed to link Kanu’s broadcasts directly to specific violent incidents. “This is the only day I have seen a man convicted for what he said, not what he did,” he told reporters outside the courtroom.

He said the legal team would take the case to the Court of Appeal and, if necessary, the Supreme Court. “By God’s grace, Nnamdi Kanu will not remain convicted,” he declared.

Kanu’s trial has been one of the most contentious and politically charged in Nigeria’s recent history. Since 2015, it has alternated between periods of detention, bail, alleged extraordinary rendition, and multiple adjournments. His conviction marks the most decisive judicial outcome in the longstanding confrontation between the separatist movement and the Nigerian state.