Olushola Omogbehin
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after ten years of trial.
Justice Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High delivered the judgment on Thursday,
The judgement was delivered four years after he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria and charged thereafter with seven counts bordering on terrorism.
Earlier, Justice Omotosho ordered security agents to bundle him out of the court room for ‘unruly behaviour thereby making the judgement to be delivered in his absence.
According to the Judge, the several broadcasts by Kanu, through Radio Biafra, served as acts of terrorism.
The judgement also ruled that Kanu’s sit-at-home order in South-Eastern states is an act of terrorism because it violated South-easterners’ freedom of movement. He said that Kanu lacked the constitutional power to order people to sit at home.
Justice Omotosho further said that from the evidence before the court, Kanu carried out preparatory terrorism via his broadcasts through which he order the killing of police officers and military officers.
He was therefore found guilty of committing acts of terrorism against the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment on counts one, two, four, five, and six, a 20-year jail term on count three with no option of fine, and five years on count seven with no option of fine. with sentences to run concurrently.
Due to what Justice Omotosho described as Kanu’s violent tendencies, he is to be held in protective custody under strict security and barred completely from possessing or accessing digital devices such as laptop and handset. Future handling of digital materials will only be on the express approval and supervision of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
Furthermore, all broadcasting equipment of the Indigenous People of Biafra or used by Radio Biafra are completely forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
