iDeemlawfulThe Federal High Court (FHC) has refuted claims that Justice James Omotosho escaped an assassination attempt following the life sentence delivered on Nnamdi Kanu, describing the report as fake news.
A blog on its Facebook page alleged that Omotosho survived an assassination attempt early Saturday morning, only days after issuing the life sentences to Nnamdi Kanu.
According to the blogger, Justice Omotosho was hurriedly taken to a hospital as security operatives moved to secure the environment.
But reacting, the Chief Registrar of the FHC, Sulaiman Hassan, in a statement released to journalists on Sunday morning, said the report was baseless.
The statement was titled: “Rebuttal to False Publication by ‘Celebrity Blogger’ on the Alleged Assassination Attempt on Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court.”
It reads: “The attention of the Federal High Court has been drawn to a publication by CELEBRITY BLOGGER, alleging that the Honourable Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, survived an assassination attempt following the life sentence imposed on Nnamdi Kanu.
“We hereby firmly and unequivocally declare that the said report is completely false and unfounded.
“The public is advised to treat this publication as fake news and refrain from further dissemination to prevent the spread of misinformation.”
Hassan, therefore, urged appropriate security bodies to investigate the claim with the aim of arresting and prosecuting those behind it in accordance with the law.
He added: “Given the gravity of the report, which has the potential to cause panic and undermine confidence in the judicial system—possibly intended as a form of intimidation—we call on the relevant security agencies and regulatory authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
“The goal being to identify and apprehend the perpetrators responsible for this false report and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly those relating to cybercrime, defamation, and public misinformation.”
Justice Omotosho had on Thursday reduced the death sentence of Kanu to life imprisonment after he was convicted of the seven-count terrorism offences.
The judge sentenced him to life imprisonment for counts one, two, four, five, and six, which carried death penalties.
Kanu is the leader of proscribed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group seeking the revival of the defunct Republic of Biafra.
