By Adegbaju Temitope

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment.

The judgment comes four years after Kanu was arrested in Kenya under contentious circumstances and brought back to Nigeria to face trial.

Earlier in the day, Justice Omotosho convicted Kanu on all seven terrorism charges filed against him by the Federal Government.

The judge anchored the conviction on what he described as substantial and credible evidence presented by the prosecution, including video recordings and interviews in which Kanu allegedly issued violent threats against Nigeria and its citizens.

The court specifically found him guilty of counts one and two, which accused him of making a series of broadcasts intended to incite violence and killings, all in furtherance of his separatist campaign for a sovereign Biafra.

Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution had successfully established the essential elements of the offences, leaving the court with no reasonable doubt regarding Kanu’s culpability.

Kanu, who had earlier been removed from the courtroom for what the judge described as unruly conduct, was sentenced in absentia as proceedings continued without him.

The sentencing marks a major development in the long-running legal battle between the Federal Government and the IPOB leader.