Nigerian Government Sentences IPOB Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to Life Imprisonment

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment, marking the end of a ten-year trial that has drawn national and international attention.

The judgment, delivered on Thursday, comes four years after Kanu was abducted in Kenya under contentious circumstances and brought back to Nigeria, leading to a seven-count terrorism charge against him.

The judgment was delivered in Kanu’s absence after he insisted that the ruling would not be delivered on the terrorism charges filed against him. Following what the court described as “unruly behaviour,” Justice Omotosho ordered security agents to bundle him out of the courtroom.

Justice Omotosho held that several broadcasts by Kanu on Radio Biafra constituted acts of terrorism, noting that his rhetoric and intentions were anchored on violence.

According to the judge, Kanu’s sit-at-home orders in the South-East also amounted to terrorism as they violated citizens’ freedom of movement and were issued without constitutional authority.

The court stated that the IPOB leader carried out preparatory terrorism through broadcasts in which he allegedly ordered the killing of police and military officers. The judge concluded that Kanu was guilty of committing acts of terrorism against the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Kanu was therefore convicted on all seven counts, although he had pleaded not guilty.

Breakdown of the Sentencing

Justice Omotosho imposed the following punishments:

• Life imprisonment on counts 1, 4, 5, and 6
• 20 years imprisonment on count 3, without the option of a fine
• 5 years imprisonment on count 7, without the option of a fine

All sentences are to run concurrently, meaning Kanu will effectively serve a life term.

Justice Omotosho emphasized that Kanu “has a tendency of violence, and based on this he must be kept in a facility that is suitable for his custody.”

The court further ordered that:

• “The convict must not be allowed near any digital device; if he must, he must be under supervision.”
• “The convict be kept in protective custody in any center in any part of the country.”
• Additionally, the transmitter found in his possession was ordered to be forfeited to the Federal Government.