The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), for terrorism and membership in the proscribed group.
Justice James Omotosho, who had earlier ejected Kanu from the courtroom for unruly behaviour, ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Kanu has now been found guilty on six of the seven charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
The court held that Kanu carried out terrorist acts, issued illegal stay-at-home orders in the South-east for years, incited violence, taught people to make bombs targeting government facilities, and continued to be a member of a banned terrorist organisation.
Justice Omotosho cited evidence showing that Kanu made numerous broadcasts threatening the federal government and citizens in his push for Biafra’s independence. “The defendant knew what he was doing while making these violent threats. He was determined to achieve his objective through violence, regardless of the risk to his own people,” the judge said.
The court referenced a video from the Third World Igbo Congress in Los Angeles, where Kanu called for violence despite calls for peaceful dialogue, as well as broadcasts during the EndSARS protests in October 2020, in which he urged listeners to burn government facilities and attack security officers and their families.
The judge highlighted the real-life impact of Kanu’s incitement, noting that 128 police officers, 37 military personnel, and 10 other security agents were killed, while 164 police stations and nine INEC offices were destroyed. “There is no doubt his incitement contributed to the deaths and destruction,” he said.
Justice Omotosho described Kanu as having “an evil intention to wreak havoc on the people and government of Nigeria” and labelled him “an international terrorist” for directing attacks against foreign embassies, including the British High Commission.
The court further noted that Kanu had openly identified as a member of IPOB after the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in 2017, making him guilty of membership in a banned terrorist group. The judge also remarked that Kanu failed to offer any defence, describing the prosecution’s evidence as “uncontroverted.”
The court has yet to pronounce the sentence as the judge continues reading the full judgement.
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