Nnamdi Kanu to appeal life imprisonment verdict — Lawyer

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, will challenge the life sentence issued against him by the Federal High Court in Abuja, his former lawyer and consultant, Aloy Ejimakor, has confirmed.

Kanu was on Thursday convicted on all seven terrorism-related charges filed by the Federal Government. Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on counts one, two, four, five and six; 20 years without the option of a fine on count three; and an additional five years, also without an option of a fine, on count seven.

Speaking with journalists after the ruling, Ejimakor said the legal team would immediately appeal the judgment. “We are heading to appeal,” he stated.

In a separate reaction posted on X (formerly Twitter), Ejimakor insisted the verdict would not stand, arguing that Kanu is not a terrorist.

“The verdict & the sentence today will not stand. MAZI NNAMDI KANU is not a terrorist. NDIGBO are not terrorists. We all know who the real terrorists are, and luckily, the Americans know them too,” he wrote.

Ejimakor also faulted the court’s reliance on some of Kanu’s broadcasts, saying they were harmless and unconnected to any acts of violence.

“How can you convict a man for making mere broadcasts from a location that was never named and never tied to a single incident of violence?” he queried.

He described the judgment as lacking in law, logic, and fact, maintaining that the defence would pursue all legal options to overturn it.