A Nigerian court on Thursday jailed Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu for life for “terrorism”, ending a decade-old legal saga in which the prosecution sought the death penalty.Kanu, leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, has long advocated for the independence of southeastern Nigeria, claiming that the Igbo ethnic group have been mistreated.”The death penalty is now being frowned upon by the international community. Consequently in the interests of justice, I hereby sentence the convict to to life imprisonment… instead of (the) death sentence. Life is sacred,” Judge James Omotosho ruled.Kanu’s legal counsel slammed the sentence as a “travesty of justice”, telling reporters that he would appeal.Calls for Biafran independence date back many years.Civil war raged in Nigeria from 1967 until 1970 between the government and the so-called Republic of Biafra, which had declared independence. The conflict claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Nigerian soldiers and led to between 500,000 to two million Biafrans to starve to death, according to various estimates.Omotosho convicted Kanu, a 58-year-old former London estate agent, on all seven counts he faced, including terrorism and treason. “His intention was quite clear as he believed in violence. These threats of violence were nothing but terrorist acts,” Omotosho said. The judge sentenced Kanu to life for five counts and 20 years and five years each for the other two. Kanu has 90 days to appeal.”We disagree with the judgment vehemently and we are going to fight it from here onwards until justice is done,” said Kanu’s legal counsel Aloy Ejimakor, suggesting the ruling was “not based on law, it’s not based on facts, it’s based on politics”.”I have witnessed a man being convicted for mere buffering, for… what he said from his mouth, not what he did with his own hands. The sentence is overbroad, cruel and unusual,” he added.The verdict and sentence were handed in Kanu’s absence as the judge ordered him to be thrown out of court after an outburst during which he accused the judge of ignorance of the law.Kanu, a dual Nigerian-British citizen, refused to call witnesses, claimed there were no charges against him and dismissed his defence lawyers to argue his case himself. The judge said the court had no choice but to “rely on the uncontroverted evidence of the prosecution”.- ‘Very cocky, arrogant’ -He described Kanu’s behaviour during the trial as “very cocky, arrogant” and that his boasting that “no court can convict him…is a direct affront on the power of the courts”.”He was so unruly and expressed violence, even was about to beat the security officers,” the judge said, and ordered that Kanu should not have access to digital devices.Prosecutor Adegboyega Awomolo had earlier asked the court to consider the death sentence for Kanu, arguing that he “demonstrated no respect for the administration of justice” and that his conduct in court was “marked by arrogance”.Awomolo however welcomed the life term.”Let it be a warning to those who may think they are bigger than Nigeria. Nigeria is bigger than every one of us,” the prosecutor told reporters after the sentencing.Kanu had long advocated independence via the London-based Radio Biafra. He drew the attention of the Nigerian government in 2015 when he said “we need guns and we need bullets”.IPOB rejected the notion that it was a literal call for arms. Following mass pro-Biafran protests that same year — the first since the civil war — Kanu was arrested while visiting Nigeria.He skipped bail in 2017 and fled the country after a military raid on his home. He was extradited from Kenya in 2021, following what his lawyers said was an illegal abduction.IPOB has been accused of violently enforcing regular “sit-at-home” orders that shut down markets, travel and schools across the southeast as a form of economic protest after Kanu’s re-arrest in 2021.IPOB has denied enforcing the protests violently, blaming criminals for doing so.
