NNAMDI KANU CONVICTED ON TERRORISM CHARGES BY FEDERAL HIGH COURT IN ABUJA
A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on three counts out of the seven terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, relied on prosecution evidence, including video interviews in which Kanu issued violent threats against Nigeria and its citizens.
Earlier in the proceedings, the judge ordered Nnamdi Kanu to be removed from the courtroom due to his unruly behaviour. Kanu became disruptive after Justice Omotosho dismissed his applications seeking to halt the trial, grant him bail, or refer the case to the Court of Appeal.
Justice Omotosho invoked provisions of the law that permit a judge to deliver judgment in the absence of an unruly defendant.
Kanu was convicted for:
• Leading a proscribed organisation (IPOB)
• Declaring “sit-at-home” orders
• Inciting attacks on security personnel
• Committing acts of terrorism against the Federal Republic of Nigeria
The judge described Kanu as an “international terrorist” for threatening the British High Commission and the American Embassy.
Justice Omotosho lamented that the primary victims of Nnamdi Kanu’s actions are the very people of the South-East he claims to be protecting.
