Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, has vowed to challenge the life sentence handed to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.

Ejimakor spoke shortly after Justice James Omotosho sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on counts one, four, five, and six, instead of a death sentence.

He also sentenced the IPOB leader to 20 years imprisonment on Count Three, and five years imprisonment on Count Seven, with no option of fine. He said the sentence shall run concurrently.

Ejimakor described the judgment as “a symbol of the travesty of justice that everybody has suspected,” and argued that the conviction lacked a legal basis.

“If the Court of Appeal disagrees with us, we head to the Supreme Court. By God Almighty, Nnamdi Kanu will not stand convicted. Today is the only day I have seen a man convicted for what he said, not what he did.

“The sentence is overboard, cruel and unusual. How can you convict a man for making a broadcast from an unnamed location? He never tied that broadcast to any violence, not even someone slapping someone,” he said.

Ejimakor maintained that the decision “cannot be grounded in logic” and vowed to resist it.

“Nobody is going to trample on me. Nobody is going to trample on Nnamdi Kanu. Nnamdi Kanu is not a terrorist. He pursued change. Seeking a separate nation is not a crime.

“In Nigeria today, if someone says, ‘Don’t be silly,’ you get convicted. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu made a broadcast. So what? You convict him for terrorism over words? What precedent is this?” he stated.

“I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment for Counts One, Four, Five and Six. For Count Three, he is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.

“For Count Seven, he is sentenced to five years imprisonment without an option of fine,” Justice Omotosho said while delivering judgment.

Justice Omotosho ruled that Kanu orchestrated violent acts through threats, incitement and directives to his followers.

He said terrorism could not be defended under any principle of law. The judge noted that Kanu refused to present a defence and disrupted proceedings.

The prosecution asked the court to impose the maximum penalty under the Terrorism Prevention Act.

Kanu’s trial has lasted several years. He was first arrested in 2015 for treasonable felony and terrorism.

He fled Nigeria in 2017 while on bail after a military operation at his residence during “Operation Python Dance.”

He was re-arrested in Kenya in June 2021 under disputed circumstances and returned to Nigeria, a move his team described as an “extraordinary rendition.”

Prosecutors later expanded the charges to 15 counts, including terrorism and incitement.

Kanu’s lawyers have repeatedly questioned the legality of the trial and alleged serious procedural violations. They argue that issues involving extradition and jurisdiction undermine the legitimacy of the prosecution.

‘I Congratulate Nigeria,’ FG’s Counsel Hails Nnamdi Kanu’s Conviction

The counsel to the Federal Government, Adegboyega Awomolo, has hailed the sentencing of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment, saying it signals that no one is above the country’s law.

Awomolo spoke at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday after Kanu was convicted of seven counts of terrorism.

“So I congratulate Nigeria today for seeing the end of this, and let it be a warning: those who may think they are bigger than Nigeria — Nigeria is bigger than every one of us,” Awomolo, the prosecuting counsel, told journalists at the court premises after the judgement.

“The law is bigger than every one of us, and the law will take its course to deal with miscreants, to deal with terrorists, to deal with criminals. You know, all of us are victims when we keep quiet; all of us are victims when we don’t do what we ought to do”.

He thanked the judiciary for the verdict, saying Thursday’s judgement saved the country from the “claws” of the proscribed group.

“Justice has been done and therefore Nigerians must one way or the other appreciate the judiciary,” he said.

“You remember just last Monday the president was saying that any time when Nigeria is in a big trouble or fix, the judiciary has always come to the aid to salvage Nigeria again. The judiciary has salvaged Nigeria from the claws, from the oppression of the proscribed IPOB.”

Justice James Omotosho sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of all seven counts on terrorism.

“I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment for counts one, four, five, and six, instead of death sentence,” Justice Omotosho said while reading the sentencing.

“With respect to Count Three, he is hereby sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without no option of fine.

“For Count Seven, he is sentenced to five years imprisonment without no option of fine. To extend the mercy, I hereby order that the sentence shall run concurrently.”

We Are Not Suprised,’ Abaribe Reacts To Nnamdi Kanu’s Conviction

Former Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has bemoaned the conviction and sentencing of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) for terrorism, saying the outcome was foretold and not surprising.

Reacting through a statement by his Media Adviser, Uchenna Awom, the Senator said the life jail handed down to Kanu was a preconceived plot that is not surprising to the Igbo nation and other right thinking Nigerians.

Abaribe said at the time the Federal Government refused to factor in pleadings to extend the amnesty to Nnamdi Kanu as done to some others, we knew that today’s outcome was imminent.’

Senator Abaribe nonetheless declared that the Igbo nation is now left with no other option than to place her fate in this matter squarely on the desk of President Bola Tinubu.