Nigerian Separatist Leader Nnamdi Kanu Sentenced to Life in Terrorism Case

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of a long running separatist movement in southeastern Nigeria, has been sentenced to life in prison after a dramatic decade long legal battle. A court in Abuja found him guilty of terrorism, treason and other charges linked to his campaign for the creation of an independent Biafran state.

Kanu received four life sentences along with additional prison terms, though the sentences will run concurrently. Prosecutors had pushed for the death penalty, but Judge James Omotosho rejected that request, saying executions are now “frowned upon” under Nigerian law and international norms. In his ruling, the judge said he was convinced that Kanu had used a series of broadcasts to encourage violence and killings in pursuit of his separatist cause.

The court said the evidence showed that Kanu engaged in preparatory acts of terrorism and failed to offer any meaningful explanation or defense. He was convicted on all seven counts he faced. Throughout the trial, Kanu rejected the charges, questioned the court’s authority and refused to defend himself. He even dismissed his legal team at the start of proceedings. He was not present when the verdict was delivered, having earlier been removed from the courtroom for disruptive behavior.

Before being taken out, Kanu argued that the hearing could not continue because he had not submitted his final written statement. He accused the judge of bias and claimed the court misunderstood the law. Despite his objections, the trial moved forward, with heightened security surrounding the courthouse due to fears of protests from his supporters.

Kanu has long been a polarizing figure in Nigeria. Born and educated in the country’s southeast, he later moved to the United Kingdom, where he acquired British citizenship. In 2009 he founded Radio Biafra, a station broadcasting pro independence messages for the Igbo people. In 2014 he established the Indigenous People of Biafra, or Ipob, which has since grown into the most visible separatist group calling for Biafra’s rebirth. The Nigerian government banned Ipob as a terrorist organization in 2017, and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, has been accused of violent attacks in recent years.

Kanu was first arrested in 2015 but fled the country two years later after a military raid on his home. He resurfaced in 2021 when Nigerian authorities announced they had detained him abroad and flown him back to Nigeria. His lawyers say he was seized in Kenya and forcibly transferred, though Kenyan officials have not commented. In 2022, an appeal court ordered his release, ruling that his arrest was unlawful, but the Supreme Court later overturned that decision.

The push for Biafran independence stretches back decades. The 1967 declaration of a Biafran state led to a devastating civil war that killed up to a million people before the rebellion collapsed. Many Igbo people still feel politically and economically marginalized, though it remains unclear how much support full independence enjoys today.