A Nigerian federal court on Thursday sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, the prominent leader of the secessionist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, to life imprisonment after convicting him on all seven counts of terrorism. The verdict, delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, concludes a high-profile case that began following Kanu’s arrest and controversial rendition from Kenya four years ago.
​Justice Omotosho found the IPOB leader guilty of committing acts of terrorism against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The court’s judgment rested heavily on the content of broadcasts made by Mr. Kanu through the group’s propaganda arm, Radio Biafra.
​The presiding judge asserted that “several broadcasts by Kanu… constituted acts of terrorism,” and maintained that the defendant’s rhetoric and intention “were anchored on violence.”
​The court also cited Mr. Kanu’s enforced regional lockdowns, declaring that the widely implemented “sit-at-home order” in South-Eastern states “amounted to terrorism,” stressing that it violated citizens’ fundamental “freedom of movement.” Justice Omotosho added that the IPOB leader “lacked the constitutional power to order people to sit at home.”
​According to the judgment, evidence showed that Mr. Kanu carried out “preparatory terrorism” via his broadcasts, which included directives for the killing of Nigerian police and military officers.
​The sentencing took place following dramatic scenes in court, which culminated in the judge ordering Mr. Kanu’s physical removal from the courtroom earlier in the day for ‘unruly behaviour’ after the defendant insisted the judgment could not be read in his absence.
