BREAKING: Court Sentences Nnamdi Kanu to Life Imprisonment
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment.
The sentence was delivered in Kanu’s absence, as he had refused to attend the hearing, insisting that the court should not proceed with delivering judgment in the terrorism case brought against him by the Federal Government.
Kanu had been convicted on seven counts of terrorism, which included inciting violence, issuing illegal stay-at-home orders in the South-East, instructing the making of explosives targeting government facilities, and membership of a proscribed organization. The court ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, based on compelling evidence presented during the trial.
The Federal Government had urged the court to impose the maximum sentence under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013, which allows for either the death penalty or life imprisonment for the offences for which Kanu was convicted.
Justice Omotosho noted that Kanu’s conviction was supported by uncontested evidence, including videos and recordings of his broadcasts in which he incited violence and threatened lives in pursuit of the secession of Biafra from Nigeria.
The life imprisonment sentence marks a significant development in the government’s prosecution of Kanu and the activities of IPOB, highlighting the legal consequences for terrorism, incitement, and actions that threaten national security.
The judgement reinforces the court’s stance on safeguarding public safety and upholding the law against members of proscribed organizations.
