Aloy Ejimakor, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, has promised to fight the Federal High Court’s decision to give the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a life sentence today.
Channels TV said that Ejimakor spoke soon after Justice James Omotosho gave Kanu a life sentence on counts one, four, five, and six instead of a death sentence.
He also gave the IPOB leader a 20-year prison sentence on Count Three and a five-year prison sentence on Count Seven, with no chance of a fine. He said that the sentence should run at the same time.
“We are going to the Court of Appeal.” The Court of Appeal is the only court in this country that has a jury. After the punishment, the lawyer added, “We will ask the justices to look into what happened today.”
Ejimakor called the decision “a symbol of the travesty of justice that everyone has suspected” and said that the conviction had no legal basis.
“If the Court of Appeal doesn’t agree with us, we’ll go to the Supreme Court. Nnamdi Kanu would not be found guilty by God Almighty. Today is the only day I’ve seen a man get in trouble for what he said, not what he did.
“The sentence is very harsh and not normal. How can you find an individual guilty of making a broadcast from an unknown place? He said, “He never linked that broadcast to any violence, not even someone hitting someone.”
Ejimakor said that the choice “cannot be based on logic” and promised to fight it.
“No one is going to walk all over me.” Nnamdi Kanu is not going to be trampled on. Nnamdi Kanu is not a terrorist. He wanted things to be different. Wanting your own country is not a crime.
“In Nigeria today, you might be condemned if someone says, ‘Don’t be silly.’ Mazi Nnamdi Kanu spoke on the radio. So what? You put him in jail for terrorism over words? “What precedent is this?” he asked.
“I sentence the defendant to life in prison for Counts One, Four, Five, and Six. He is going to jail for 20 years on Count Three, and he can’t pay a fine.
Justice Omotosho declared, “For Count Seven, he is sentenced to five years in prison with no chance of a fine.”
Justice Omotosho said that Kanu used threats, provocation, and orders to get his supporters to commit violent crimes.
He claimed that no legal theory could protect terrorism. The judge said that Kanu didn’t want to defend himself and was causing problems in court.
The prosecution sought the court to give the harshest punishment allowed under the Terrorism Prevention Act.
The trial for Kanu has been going on for a few years. In 2015, he was arrested for terrorism and treasonable offense.
He ran away from Nigeria in 2017 while out on bail after a military operation at his home during “Operation Python Dance.”
In June 2021, he was caught again in Kenya under unclear circumstances and sent back to Nigeria. His camp called this a “extraordinary rendition.”
Later, the prosecutors added further accusations, bringing the total to 15. These included terrorism and incitement.
Kanu’s lawyers have constantly questioned whether the trial was legal and claimed that there were substantial mistakes made in the process. They say that problems with extradition and jurisdiction make the prosecution less legitimate.
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