After five years of theatrics surrounding his trial, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment after convicting him on all the offences contained in the seven-count terrorism charge.
Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment in relation to counts one, two, four, five, and six of the seven-count charge in which he was prosecuted by the Federal Government.
For count three, relating to the offences of belonging to a proscribed terrorist group, Justice Omotosho sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.
The judge, who noted that Kanu had been unruly throughout the trial, said the law allowed the court to sentence him to death for the terrorism offences, but that he (the judge), as a Christian, chose to be merciful to the defendant.
Justice Omotosho ordered that the defendant be kept in protective custody in any part of the country, but not in Kuje Prison, Abuja, and that the radio transmitter be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Before pronouncing his sentence, Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution led sufficient credible evidence to establish its case against Kanu.
The judge said the court had no option but to believe the evidence as led by the prosecution since the defendant failed to enter his defence, but chose to gamble by resting his case on that of the prosecution.
Kanu was convicted of violations of sections 1 and 2 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2013, which carries the death sentence.
Justice Omotosho found him guilty of breaching the terrorism law in several broadcasts he made in which he threatened the corporate existence of Nigeria and promoted the breakaway of the South-East region from Nigeria to form the Biafra nation.
Kanu was said to have made it clear that Somalia would be a paradise unless the Biafra nation was granted.
In one of the interviews he granted Sahara Television, the convict was said that nothing would be living in a zoo called Nigeria by the time he executed his secession threat.
