Nnamdi Kanu sentenced to life in Nigeria over terror charges

Lawyers for convicted separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu have rejected a Nigerian court's ruling that sentenced him to life imprisonment on seven terrorism-related charges.

Kanu was accused of acts of terrorism, issuing and violently enforcing weekly stay-at-home orders across the southeast, instructing others on bomb-making targeting government facilities, and incitement.

Aloy Ejimakor, legal consultant to Nnamdi Kanu, said: "Today will forever live in infamy. I have never seen a man convicted for simply what he said, not for actions he took. The verdict does not match the evidence presented to the court. The sentence is overbroad, cruel, and unusual. We strongly disagree with this judgment and will continue to challenge it until justice prevails."

Kanu was arrested in 2021 and extradited from Kenya after missing a 2015 court appearance. State prosecutors welcomed the ruling, having sought the death penalty but ultimately securing a life sentence instead.

Prosecutor Adegboyega Awomolo commented, "We must not compromise national security for sentiment. I congratulate Nigeria for reaching this verdict, and hope it serves as a warning that no one is above the law. The law will deal with miscreants, terrorists, and criminals. We all become victims if we remain silent."

Kanu campaigned to revive Biafra, a breakaway region in southeastern Nigeria whose 1967–1970 secession sparked the Nigerian Civil War, resulting in an estimated 3 million deaths before Biafran surrender.

Based on reporting by Africanews.