In a landmark judgment that brings a long-running legal battle to a dramatic close, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court has sentenced Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment.
The ruling was delivered on Thursday, four years after Kanu was controversially arrested in Kenya and returned to Nigeria to face trial.
Kanu, who faced seven terrorism-related charges, was not present in the courtroom at the time the sentence was read.
Earlier, he had objected to the continuation of the trial, insisting that the terrorism allegations should not be entertained by the court.
Tension rose during the proceedings when Justice Omotosho ordered security personnel to forcibly remove him from the courtroom over what was described as “unruly conduct.”
In delivering the judgment, Justice Omotosho held that multiple broadcasts made by Kanu through Radio Biafra amounted to acts of terrorism, noting that his statements promoted violence and constituted direct incitement.
He further ruled that the sit-at-home directives enforced across the South-East on Kanu’s orders infringed on citizens’ rights and qualified as terrorism.
“The defendant had no constitutional authority to impose restrictions on citizens,” the judge said.
“Evidence before the court shows that preparatory acts of terrorism were executed through broadcasts encouraging attacks on security forces.”
The court subsequently convicted Kanu on all seven counts, despite his earlier plea of not guilty.
