A Nigerian court has handed down a landmark verdict against separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, convicting him on multiple counts including terrorism, treason, and affiliation with a banned organization. The ruling concludes a decade-long legal saga marked by high drama and public attention.
The court determined that Kanu’s broadcasts and public statements were intended to incite violence, as part of his campaign for an independent state in the country’s southeast, widely referred to as Biafra. Kanu was convicted on all seven charges brought against him, including terrorism.
Sentencing has been adjourned, with a judge set to announce the outcome later in the day. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, though executions are infrequent in Nigeria.
Kanu, who has consistently denied the allegations, previously rejected his legal team and declined to represent himself in court. Security measures were heightened in Abuja in anticipation of potential protests from his supporters following the verdict.
Kanu first gained national attention in 2009 with the launch of Radio Biafra, broadcasting from London and calling for secession. Although he grew up in southeast Nigeria and studied at the University of Nsukka, he relocated to the United Kingdom before completing his degree, acquiring British citizenship.
In 2014, he founded the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), advocating for secession. IPOB was designated a terrorist organization in 2017, and its armed faction, the Eastern Security Network, has been linked to acts of violence in recent years.
