Nnamdi Kanu sentenced to life imprisonment
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment after finding him guilty on all seven counts of terrorism.
Delivering the judgment, Justice James Omotosho said he opted against the death penalty because capital punishment is being phased out globally and because religious teachings advocate mercy.
Justice James Omotosho on Thursday sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment on counts one, four, five and six, opting against the death penalty.
The court also handed Kanu 20 years imprisonment on count three and five years on count seven, with no option of fine. All sentences are to run concurrently.
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The judge ruled that Kanu should not be returned to Kuje Correctional Centre, stating that the facility is unsuitable for the nature of his sentence. He ordered that Kanu be kept in protective custody at a secure location within the country
Justice Omotosho ordered that Kanu be kept in a facility suitable for his security and behaviour, noting that the Kuje Correctional Centre is not appropriate. He further directed that Kanu must not be allowed access to any digital device unless strictly monitored by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA). The judge added that Kanu should remain under protective custody in any correctional facility across the country, and that his transmitter be handed over to the Federal Government.
Kanu’s trial has remained one of Nigeria’s most closely followed legal battles. Arrested in 2015 on charges of treasonable felony and terrorism, his case has experienced multiple dramatic turns.
In 2017, he fled the country while on bail after a military operation at his home during “Operation Python Dance” in the South-East.
He was rearrested in Kenya in June 2021 under controversial circumstances and brought back to Nigeria — a move his legal team and IPOB describe as an “extraordinary rendition.
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