News

JUST IN: Nnamdi Kanu Files Appeal Against Conviction on Life Sentences

Published

on

<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"iGhCIFut" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa<&sol;p><div class&equals;"3erku1kV" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra&comma; Nnamdi Kanu&comma; has filed a notice of appeal challenging his conviction and multiple sentences imposed by the Federal High Court in Abuja&comma; insisting that the trial was riddled with fundamental legal errors and amounted to a miscarriage of justice&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In the notice of appeal dated February 4&comma; 2026&comma; Kanu said he was appealing against his conviction and sentences on seven counts&comma; including terrorism-related offences&comma; for which he received five life sentences and additional prison terms after being found guilty on November 20&comma; 2025&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I&comma; Nnamdi Kanu&comma; the Appellant&comma; having been convicted and sentenced… do hereby give notice of appeal against my conviction&comma;” the document stated&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"17nBQhbc" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Kanu was convicted for offences including &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;committing an act preparatory to or in furtherance of an act of terrorism&comma;” &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;making a broadcast… with intent to intimidate the population&comma;” and &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;being the leader and member of the Indigenous People of Biafra &lpar;IPOB&rpar;&comma; a proscribed organisation in Nigeria&comma;” among others&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court&comma; Abuja&comma; delivered the judgment on November 20&comma; 2025&comma; sentencing Kanu to five life terms for terrorism-related offences&comma; 20 years’ imprisonment for being the leader of the proscribed IPOB&comma; and five years’ imprisonment with no option of fine for importing a radio transmitter without a licence&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>In his grounds of appeal&comma; the IPOB leader accused the trial court of failing to resolve what he described as a &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;foundational disruption of the original trial process” following the 2017 military operation at his Afara-Ukwu residence&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The learned trial judge erred in law by failing to resolve the procedural and competence consequences of the foundational disruption of the original trial process in September 2017&comma;” Kanu argued&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He also contended that the court proceeded to trial and judgment while his preliminary objection challenging the competence of the proceedings remained unresolved&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The learned trial judge did not hear or determine the objection&comma;” the appeal document stated&comma; adding that judgment was delivered &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;while the objection remained pending and undetermined&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Kanu further faulted the court for delivering judgment while his bail application was still pending&comma; arguing that this affected the fairness of the trial process&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He also claimed that the trial court convicted him under a law that had already been repealed&comma; stating that &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;the learned trial judge erred in law by convicting and sentencing the Appellant under the Terrorism Prevention &lpar;Amendment&rpar; Act&comma; 2013&comma; notwithstanding its repeal by the Terrorism &lpar;Prevention and Prohibition&rpar; Act&comma; 2022&comma; prior to judgment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Kanu further argued that he was subjected to double jeopardy&comma; contrary to Section 36&lpar;9&rpar; of the 1999 Constitution&comma; after being retried on facts he said had earlier been nullified by the Court of Appeal&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He also complained that he was denied fair hearing&comma; claiming that he was not allowed to file or present a final written address before judgment was delivered&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Among the reliefs sought&comma; Kanu asked the Court of Appeal to allow the appeal&comma; quash his conviction and sentences&comma; and &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;discharge and acquit the Appellant in respect of all the counts&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He also informed the appellate court of his desire to be present at the hearing of the appeal&comma; stating&comma; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;I want to be present at the hearing of the appeal because I may be conducting the appeal in person&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Kanu is currently being held at a correctional facility in Sokoto State&comma; after his application to be transferred to a different facility in either Niger or Nasarawa State was denied&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

Trending

Exit mobile version