{"id":2794,"date":"2025-11-20T16:48:03","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=2794"},"modified":"2025-11-20T16:48:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:48:03","slug":"nigeria-jails-separatist-leader-nnamdi-kanu-for-life-on-terrorism-charges-courts-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=2794","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria jails separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu for life on \u2018terrorism\u2019 charges | Courts News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Kanu\u2019s Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wants a swathe of the southeast, the homeland of the Igbo ethnic group, to split from Nigeria.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 20 Nov 2025<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">20 Nov 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>A Nigerian court has sentenced separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu to life in prison after convicting him on seven charges related to \u201cterrorism\u201d in a years-long trial.<\/p>\n<p>In his ruling on Thursday, Nigerian Judge James Omotosho said prosecutors proved that Kanu\u2019s broadcasts and orders to his now-banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group incited deadly attacks on security forces and citizens in the southeast.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>The violence was part of his push for an independent Biafra state for the ethnic Igbo-dominated region.<\/p>\n<p>Omotosho told the court that the \u201cright to self-determination is a political right\u201d, but he added that: \u201cAny self-determination not done according to the constitution of Nigeria is illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors had sought the death penalty against Kanu, but Omotosho said he chose to show mercy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe death penalty is now being frowned upon by the international community. Consequently, in the interests of justice, I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment \u2026 instead of [the] death sentence,\u201d Omotosho ruled.<\/p>\n<p>Kanu has 90 days to appeal.<\/p>\n<p>Kanu, who has been in custody since his controversial re-arrest in Kenya in 2021, shouted angrily in objection to the proceedings and was ejected from court ahead of the ruling. He had argued that his unlawful extradition from Kenya undermined any chance of a fair trial.<\/p>\n<p>Kanu pleaded not guilty in 2021 to seven charges that included \u201cterrorism\u201d, treason and perpetuating falsehoods against Nigeria\u2019s former President Muhammadu Buhari.<\/p>\n<p>Kanu was first arrested in 2015, but fled the country while on bail. His social media posts during his absence and his Radio Biafra broadcasts outraged the government, which said they encouraged attacks on security forces.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, security agents brought Kanu to court in Abuja in June 2021 after detaining him in Kenya, where his lawyer alleged he was mistreated. Kenya has denied involvement.<\/p>\n<p>In October 2021, Kanu\u2019s lawyers argued that his statements on Radio Biafra shouldn\u2019t be admissible in a Nigerian court since they were made in London.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t see how someone would make a statement in London and it becomes a triable offence in this country,\u201d Kanu\u2019s lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor told reporters at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Kanu, a dual Nigerian-British citizen, started Radio Biafra \u2013 an obscure, London-based radio station \u2013 in 2009 after he left Nigeria to study economics and politics at the London Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n<p>In one\u00a0broadcast, Kanu said: \u201cWe have one thing in common, all of us that believe in Biafra, one thing we have in common, a pathological hatred for Nigeria. I cannot begin to put into words how much I hate Nigeria.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>IPOB wants a swathe of the southeast, the homeland of the Igbo ethnic group, to split from Nigeria. An attempt to secede in 1967 as the Republic of Biafra triggered a three-year civil war that killed more than one million people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kanu\u2019s Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wants a swathe of the southeast, the homeland of the Igbo ethnic group, to split from Nigeria. Published On 20 Nov 202520 Nov 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share A Nigerian court has sentenced separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu to life in prison after convicting him [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}