Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, challenging his conviction and multiple life sentences handed down by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court last November.
Kanu, who is currently detained at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, was convicted on seven counts, including acts preparatory to terrorism, incitement, and membership of IPOB, a proscribed organisation in Nigeria.
In addition to the life sentences, he was sentenced to 20 years for membership of a proscribed organisation and five years for importing a radio transmitter without a licence.
In his appeal, Kanu raises 22 grounds, alleging errors of law, denial of fair hearing, and a miscarriage of justice. According to the appeal notice, the trial judge “failed to resolve fundamental jurisdictional issues before proceeding with the trial,” and “ignored pending objections, motions, and bail applications filed before the court.”
Kanu further contends that the court relied on “repealed statutes and legally incompetent provisions,” and that the proceedings “exposed him to double jeopardy” and convicted him “without proof beyond reasonable doubt, contrary to the principles of criminal justice.”
The appeal also challenges the trial court’s reliance on alleged broadcasts and incitement, insisting that the materials “were neither properly authenticated nor conclusively linked” to him.
Kanu argues that his absence from Nigeria between 2017 and 2021 “was not voluntary but compelled by state actions,” and that the trial court erred in interpreting it as evidence of fleeing justice.
Among the reliefs sought, Kanu is asking the Court of Appeal to “quash the conviction in its entirety, set aside all sentences imposed, and discharge and acquit” him of all charges. He has also requested to be present during the appeal hearing, stating he “may elect to conduct his defence personally” before the appellate court.
Boluwatife Enome
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