•Convicted IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu
Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, has vowed to challenge the life sentence handed to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader by the Federal High Court in Abuja today.
Ejimakor spoke shortly after Justice James Omotosho sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on counts one, four, five, and six, instead of a death sentence, reports Channels TV.
He also sentenced the IPOB leader to 20 years imprisonment on Count Three, and five years imprisonment on Count Seven, with no option of fine. He said the sentence shall run concurrently.
“We are heading to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal is the only court in this country that sits as a jury. We will ask the justices to check what happened today,” the lawyer said after the sentence.
Ejimakor described the judgment as “a symbol of the travesty of justice that everybody has suspected,” and argued that the conviction lacked a legal basis.
“If the Court of Appeal disagrees with us, we head to the Supreme Court. By God Almighty, Nnamdi Kanu will not stand convicted. Today is the only day I have seen a man convicted for what he said, not what he did.
“The sentence is overboard, cruel and unusual. How can you convict a man for making a broadcast from an unnamed location? He never tied that broadcast to any violence, not even someone slapping someone,” he said.
Ejimakor maintained that the decision “cannot be grounded in logic” and vowed to resist it.
“Nobody is going to trample on me. Nobody is going to trample on Nnamdi Kanu. Nnamdi Kanu is not a terrorist. He pursued change. Seeking a separate nation is not a crime.
“In Nigeria today, if someone says, ‘Don’t be silly,’ you get convicted. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu made a broadcast. So what? You convict him for terrorism over words? What precedent is this?” he stated.
“I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment for Counts One, Four, Five and Six. For Count Three, he is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
“For Count Seven, he is sentenced to five years imprisonment without an option of fine,” Justice Omotosho said while delivering judgment.
Justice Omotosho ruled that Kanu orchestrated violent acts through threats, incitement and directives to his followers.
He said terrorism could not be defended under any principle of law. The judge noted that Kanu refused to present a defence and disrupted proceedings.
The prosecution asked the court to impose the maximum penalty under the Terrorism Prevention Act.
Kanu’s trial has lasted several years. He was first arrested in 2015 for treasonable felony and terrorism.
He fled Nigeria in 2017 while on bail after a military operation at his residence during “Operation Python Dance.”
He was re-arrested in Kenya in June 2021 under disputed circumstances and returned to Nigeria, a move his team described as an “extraordinary rendition.”
Prosecutors later expanded the charges to 15 counts, including terrorism and incitement.
Kanu’s lawyers have repeatedly questioned the legality of the trial and alleged serious procedural violations. They argue that issues involving extradition and jurisdiction undermine the legitimacy of the prosecution.
