By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment following a decade-long trial.
The ruling was handed down on Thursday, four years after Kanu was apprehended in Kenya under controversial circumstances and returned to Nigeria. He faced seven charges related to terrorism.
The judgment was delivered in Kanu’s absence after he refused to acknowledge the court’s proceedings regarding the terrorism charges brought by the Federal Government.
Due to the ensuing disruption, the presiding judge ordered security personnel to remove Kanu from the courtroom for “unruly behaviour.”
Justice Omotosho stated that numerous broadcasts made by Kanu via Radio Biafra constituted acts of terrorism, noting that “his rhetoric and intention were anchored on violence.”
The judge also highlighted that Kanu’s sit-at-home directive in the South-Eastern states amounted to terrorism, asserting that the order infringed on citizens’ freedom of movement.
Justice Omotosho emphasised that Kanu “lacked the constitutional power to order people to sit at home.”
According to the judge, the evidence presented demonstrated that Kanu engaged in preparatory terrorism through his broadcasts, during which he allegedly instructed the killing of police and military officers.
The court concluded that the IPOB leader “is found guilty of committing acts of terrorism against the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” convicting him on all seven counts, despite his plea of not guilty.