Daniel Otera
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday convicted the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on one count of the Federal Government’s seven-count terrorism charge.
Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution had provided “uncontroverted evidence” that Kanu made broadcasts inciting violence in furtherance of IPOB’s separatist campaign in the South-East. The judge said the right to self-determination must be pursued within the confines of the Nigerian Constitution, adding that any resort to extralegal measures amounts to terrorism.
Kanu, who was re-arrested in 2021 after jumping bail in 2017, had earlier challenged the court’s jurisdiction and refused to enter a defence, insisting that Nigeria lacked a valid terrorism law under which he could be tried.
The conviction came after years of legal tussle between the government and the separatist leader, whose group seeks the creation of an independent Biafran state. The court is expected to announce sentencing after further proceedings.