Nnamdi Kanu sentenced to life imprisonment over terrorism convictions

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted on multiple terrorism charges by a federal high court in Abuja.

The sentence was delivered on Thursday by Justice James Omotosho, who handed Kanu life imprisonment for counts 1, 4, 5, and 6 of the seven-count charges. He was also sentenced to 20 years for count 3 and five years for count 7, all to run concurrently.

Justice Omotosho said the prosecution had successfully proved all allegations against Kanu, noting that the IPOB leader “deliberately refused” to challenge the evidence presented in court. He described Kanu as “a person who cannot be allowed to remain in the company of sane minds” and labeled him an “international terrorist.”

The judge rejected Kanu’s claim of being a freedom fighter, stating that his actions, carried out through “brutal force and terrorism,” resulted in the “bloodshed of innocent citizens.”

The federal government had requested the death penalty for Kanu, arguing that the law under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013 prescribed death for counts one, two, four, five, and six. Justice Omotosho, however, said he opted for life imprisonment to show mercy, citing both moral and international considerations regarding the global condemnation of the death penalty.

Just in: Court convicts Nnamdi Kanu on all seven terrorism charges

The court also ordered that Kanu, due to his violent tendencies, be placed in protective custody rather than Kuje Correctional Centre. He is prohibited from using electronic devices without supervision from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and items retrieved from him, including a smuggled transmitter, are to be forfeited to the federal government.

The sentencing marks the conclusion of Kanu’s high-profile trial on terrorism charges that have spanned several years, with implications for security and separatist movements in Nigeria’s southeast.