A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment after convicting him on multiple counts of terrorism.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho held that Kanu was guilty on counts one, two, four, five and six of the seven-count charge brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS). The court accordingly imposed a life sentence for those offences.
On count three, which involved membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation, the judge handed down a 20-year prison term without an option of fine. Count seven, relating to the unlawful importation of a radio transmitter intended to advance the activities of the unlicensed Radio Biafra, attracted a five-year sentence, also without an option of fine.
Justice Omotosho noted that Kanu had been unruly throughout the trial and observed that the law permits the imposition of the death penalty for the terrorism offences for which he was convicted. However, he stated that, guided by his Christian faith, he opted for a more lenient sentence.
The court further directed that Kanu be held in protective custody in any secure location within the country other than Kuje Prison. The radio transmitter recovered during the investigation was ordered to be forfeited to the Federal Government.
