iDeemlawfulThe Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment.
This followed a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho on Thursday, November 20, 2025.Earlier in the day, the court found the separatist leader guilty on charges connected to “terrorism” after a protracted legal battle.
In his verdict, Justice Omotosho held that prosecutors successfully demonstrated that Kanu’s broadcasts and directives to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) incited violent assaults on security personnel and civilians across the southeast.
“His intention was quite clear, as he believed in violence. These threats of violence were nothing but terrorist acts,” Omotosho stated.
Kanu was initially arrested in 2015 but fled the country in 2017 while on bail following a military raid on his residence. His bail was subsequently revoked in 2019.
In 2021, he was rearrested in Kenya and returned to Nigeria, though his legal team alleged he was mishandled prior to his extradition — a claim Kenya dismissed.
While abroad, Kanu frequently used social media platforms and his Radio Biafra broadcasts to criticise the Nigerian government. Authorities maintained that his messages spurred attacks on law enforcement agencies.
He entered a not-guilty plea in 2021 to seven counts, including terrorism, treason, and disseminating false claims about former President Muhammadu Buhari.
