The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment after a protracted legal battle spanning a decade.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment on Thursday, convicting Kanu on multiple terrorism-related charges. The court held that the offences proved against him on counts one, four, five, and six warranted a life sentence rather than the death penalty sought by the prosecution.
Kanu was also handed a 20-year jail term on Count Three and an additional five years on Count Seven. The judge ruled that all sentences will run concurrently.
“I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment for counts one, four, five, and six, instead of the death sentence,” Justice Omotosho said while reading the ruling. “For Count Three, he is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without the option of fine. For Count Seven, he is sentenced to five years imprisonment without the option of fine. In extending mercy, the sentences shall run concurrently.”
Kanu’s conviction marks a major chapter in one of Nigeria’s most contentious security and political cases since his arrest in 2015.
More details to follow…
