US EditionNigerian Separatist Leader Nnamdi Kanu Gets Life Sentence
Nnamdi Kanu was found guilty of inciting violence and terrorism in pursuit of Biafran secession, receiving life imprisonment after a decade-long trial in Nigeria's federal court.
- On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Nnamdi Kanu on all the seven counts, ending a trial that lasted over 10 years, and Judge James Omotosho sentenced him to life for five counts and 20 years and five years for the others.
- The court found that Kanu's broadcasts and orders incited violence as part of his push for a separate Biafra state, and he was re-arrested and brought from Kenya in 2021 after using London-based Radio Biafra to press for independence.
- Kanu had dismissed his lawyers, refused defence witnesses, and was removed for unruly behaviour before Judge James Omotosho said, `His intention was quite clear as he believed in violence. These threats of violence were nothing but terrorist acts` and called him "very cocky, arrogant".
- Prosecutors had urged the death sentence but the judge imposed life imprisonment, while the Federal Government of Nigeria sought forfeiture of Kanu's broadcast equipment and device limits; analysts warn this may inflame separatist unrest after economic protests cost 7.6 trillion naira.
- Calls for Biafra independence date back to 1967 when a civil war left up to one million dead; Kanu gained a following via Radio Biafra and Simon Ekpa was sentenced in Finland.
154 Articles
154 Articles
Nigeria has jailed Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu: why it risks backfiring
The terrorism conviction and life sentence handed down by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, brings an end to a ten-year legal battle. But it opens up a larger political and security question for Nigeria. Kanu has long championed the secession of Nigeria’s south-east region, a demand the Nigerian constitution forbids. The last major attempt at secession, in 1967, triggered a 30-month civil …
I've activated strategy to secure Nnamdi Kanu's release
Governor Alex Otti has formally reacted to the life imprisonment sentence slammed on the Abia-born leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Nnamdi Kanu, by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja on November 20.
Nigeria jails Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu for life
Nigerian separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu was convicted of terrorism by a court in Abuja and sentenced to life imprisonment. The ruling, which can be appealed, is the latest step in a lengthy legal process that has seen the government face off against one of the country’s most controversial…
Nigeria jails Biafra separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu for life
Nigerian separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu was convicted of terrorism by a court in Abuja and sentenced to life imprisonment. The ruling, which can be appealed, is the latest step in a lengthy legal process that has seen the government face off against one of the country’s most controversial figures.Kanu, 58, has over the past decade led a secessionist movement calling for parts of southeastern Nigeria to form a breakaway Biafra nation. The movement…
British-Nigerian narrowly avoids death penalty for terrorism after decade-long legal battle
A British-Nigerian separatist leader has avoided receiving the death penalty after being sentenced to life in prison for terrorism offences. Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, was accused of inciting violence in his campaign to establish an independent state for the Igbo people.The former estate agent was first picked up by Nigerian officials in 2015 after broadcasting on the London-based Radio Biafra…
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