The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment, ending a years-long legal battle over charges of terrorism.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho stated that Kanu’s broadcasts and directives to his now-banned IPOB group had incited deadly attacks on security forces and civilians in the southeast.
“His intention was clear he believed in violence. These threats of violence were nothing but terrorist acts,” the judge said.
Kanu was first arrested in 2015 but fled the country in 2017 while on bail after a military raid on his home. His bail was later revoked in 2019. In 2021, he was rearrested in Kenya and extradited to Nigeria amid claims of mistreatment, which Kenyan authorities denied.
During his time abroad, Kanu frequently used Radio Biafra and social media to criticise the Nigerian government, messages that authorities said encouraged attacks on security agencies. He pleaded not guilty to seven charges, including terrorism, treason, and spreading false information about former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The verdict has stirred debate across the nation, with questions over whether it will calm tensions in the southeast or spark new reactions.
