Counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has announced plans to immediately appeal the life sentence handed down by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.
Kanu was convicted on multiple counts of terrorism after a trial that has lasted nearly a decade.
Justice James Omotosho, delivering judgment in a courtroom packed with lawyers and observers, sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on four counts, specifically counts one, four, five and six.
He also imposed 20 years on count three and five years on count seven, all without an option of fine.
The judge ruled that the sentences would run concurrently.
According to the court, the IPOB leader’s broadcasts, directives, and public statements were instrumental in “orchestrating violent outcomes,” including threats and incitement that allegedly spurred attacks across parts of the South East.
Justice Omotosho said terrorism “cannot be justified under any recognised principle of law,” adding that Kanu declined to present a defence and frequently disrupted court proceedings.
Reacting moments after the verdict, Kanu’s lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, condemned the ruling as a profound miscarriage of justice.
He insisted that the conviction was founded on weak legal reasoning and vowed to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
“We are going straight to the Court of Appeal.
“That is the only court that functions as a true jury in Nigeria. We will ask the justices to review everything that happened here today, ” he told reporters.
Ejimakor argued that the conviction criminalised speech rather than actions, insisting that none of Kanu’s broadcasts were linked to proven acts of violence.
“Today is the first time I have seen someone convicted for words, words that were not tied to any physical harm, not even a minor assault.
“The sentence is excessive, cruel, and completely unjustifiable, ” he said.
He also maintained that pursuing a political ideology or advocating for self-determination is not terrorism, adding: “Seeking a separate nation is not a crime anywhere in the world.”
Ejimakor described the decision as “illogical and unsustainable,” accusing the court of stretching the law beyond its purpose.
“You do not convict a man for terrorism simply because he made a broadcast from an unnamed location.
”What precedent does this set? This judgment cannot stand.
”If the Court of Appeal rejects our arguments, we will go to the Supreme Court. By God’s grace, Nnamdi Kanu will not remain convicted, ” he said.
During the sentencing, the prosecution team urged the court to impose the maximum penalty available under the Terrorism Prevention Act, arguing that the defendant’s statements and directives had resulted in the destabilisation of several communities.
Kanu’s legal troubles began in 2015 when he was first arrested on charges of terrorism and treasonable felony. His residence was raided in 2017 during Operation Python Dance, after which he left the country while on bail.
In 2021, he was apprehended in Kenya under contested circumstances and returned to Nigeria.
His defence team had consistently argued that his return amounted to an “extraordinary rendition” that violated international law.
Prosecutors later expanded the charges against him to 15 counts, while his legal team continued to challenge the legality and jurisdiction of the proceedings.
With Thursday’s judgment now delivered, the legal battle is set to shift to the Court of Appeal, where Ejimakor said his team would file a comprehensive challenge to both the conviction and the sentence.
Kanu remains in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) pending further proceedings.
