Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment.
The judgement was delivered in Kanu’s absence after the IPOB leader insisted that the judgement would not be delivered in the terrorism charge the Federal Government entered against him.
The Court on Thursday convicted Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, on all seven terrorism-related charges filed against him by the Federal Government.
Presiding judge Omotosho held that the prosecution proved its case, noting that Kanu failed and “deliberately refused” to challenge the evidence presented against him.
In his ruling, the judge said the activities linked to Kanu had instilled fear and disrupted normal life in parts of the South-East.
He stated that the defendant’s actions were inconsistent with any legitimate agitation for self-determination, adding that Kanu was not elected by anyone and could not issue directives to the people through intimidation and threat of violence.
Justice Omotosho declared, “He is a terrorist. He must be treated as such.”
He said the prosecution had established all seven counts beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Kanu accordingly.
The court outlined the offences as follows: threatening violence through broadcasts that the court said amounted to terrorism; inciting violence and killings in pursuit of a separatist agenda; encouraging the EndSARS protests to become violent; issuing and enforcing a sit-at-home order that shut down commercial activities across the South-East; and belonging to a terrorist organisation through the establishment of the Eastern Security Network, which the court said was responsible for targeted killings and illegal restrictions.
Following the conviction, the court postponed sentencing for over an hour.Justice Omotosho, who delivered the verdict at 2.42 p.m. on Thursday, rose and said he would return later to pronounce the sentence.
The Federal Government’s lead counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, earlier urged the court to impose the maximum punishment under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013.He argued that the law prescribes the death penalty for several of the offences for which Kanu was convicted.
Awomolo submitted that the court had no discretion in the matter, insisting that the punishment mandated by law for Counts One, Two, Four, Five and Six was death.
Justice Omotosho is expected to deliver the sentencing decision after considering the submissions of both sides.
