Aloy Ejimakor, counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, has vowed to challenge the life sentence handed to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.

Justice James Omotosho sentenced Mr. Kanu to life imprisonment on Counts One, Four, Five and Six, instead of imposing the death penalty. He further imposed 20 years’ imprisonment on Count Three and five years’ imprisonment on Count Seven, both without an option of fine. The sentences are to run concurrently.

“We are heading to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal is the only court in this country that sits as a jury. We will ask the justices to check what happened today,” Mr. Ejimakor said after the verdict.

He described the judgment as “a symbol of the travesty of justice that everybody has suspected,” arguing that the conviction lacked any legal foundation.

“If the Court of Appeal disagrees with us, we will head to the Supreme Court. By God Almighty, Nnamdi Kanu will not stand convicted. Today is the only day I have seen a man convicted for what he said, not what he did,” he said.

“The sentence is overboard, cruel and unusual. How can you convict a man for making a broadcast from an unnamed location? He never tied that broadcast to any violence, not even someone slapping someone.”

Mr. Ejimakor insisted the decision “cannot be grounded in logic” and vowed to challenge it.
“Nobody is going to trample on me. Nobody is going to trample on Nnamdi Kanu. Nnamdi Kanu is not a terrorist. He pursued change. Seeking a separate nation is not a crime,” he said.

“In Nigeria today, if someone says, ‘Don’t be silly,’ you get convicted. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu made a broadcast. So what? You convict him for terrorism over words? What precedent is this?”

While delivering judgment, Justice Omotosho said:
“I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment for Counts One, Four, Five and Six. For Count Three, he is sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment without an option of fine. For Count Seven, he is sentenced to five years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.”

He held that Mr. Kanu orchestrated violent acts through threats, incitement and directives to his followers, adding that terrorism could not be justified under any legal principle. The judge also noted that the IPOB leader failed to present a defence and disrupted proceedings.

Prosecutors had urged the court to impose the maximum penalty under the Terrorism Prevention Act.

Mr. Kanu’s legal troubles span several years. He was first arrested in 2015 on charges of treasonable felony and terrorism. He fled Nigeria in 2017 while on bail after a military raid on his home during “Operation Python Dance.”

He was re-arrested in Kenya in June 2021 under disputed circumstances and returned to Nigeria—a move his legal team described as “extraordinary rendition”. Prosecutors later expanded the charges to 15, including terrorism and incitement.

His lawyers continue to dispute the legality of the trial, citing alleged breaches of extradition procedures and jurisdiction.