FOLLOWING Thursday’s conviction and life sentence handed to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), many Nigerians have asked for clarity on the exact offenses that led to the historic judgment.
Below is the precise wording and substance of each of the seven counts on which Justice James Omotosho found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt:
Count 1 – Treasonable felony
That between 2014 and September 2015, while in London, you broadcast on Radio Biafra that you and others were making preparations for states in the South-East, South-South, and parts of Kogi and Benue to secede from Nigeria and form the “Republic of Biafra,” an act punishable under Section 41(c) of the Criminal Code Act.
Count 2 – Terrorism by defamation of the President
That on 28 April 2015 you knowingly broadcast false statements describing then-President Muhammadu Buhari as “a paedophile, terrorist, idiot and embodiment of evil,” thereby committing an act of terrorism under Section 1(2)(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2013.
Count 3 – Incitement to violence against security forces
That on 1 December 2015 you incited IPOB members and the public to attack and kill Nigerian policemen, soldiers, and government officials, an act of terrorism under Section 1(2)(c) of the Terrorism Act.
Count 4 – Belonging to and professing membership of a terrorist organisation
That between 2018 and 2021, knowing that IPOB had been proscribed and designated a terrorist organisation by a Federal High Court order of 2017, you repeatedly professed to be its leader and member on Radio Biafra, contrary to Section 16 of the Terrorism Act.
Count 5 – Terrorist threats against diplomatic missions
That on 21 February 2021 you threatened to burn down the British High Commission and the United States Embassy in Nigeria if they did not comply with your demands, an offence under Section 1(2)(b) of the Terrorism Act.
Count 6 – Threatening widespread death and destruction
That on 16 May 2021 you declared: “In two weeks’ time what will happen will shake the world; people will die; the whole world will stand still; mark my word,” thereby committing terrorism under Section 1(2)(b).
Count 7 – Enforcing illegal sit-at-home orders through terror
That on 31 May 2021 you ordered a total sit-at-home in the South-East and warned that anyone who disobeyed should “write their will,” causing banks, markets, schools and public institutions to shut down under fear of violence, contrary to Section 1(2)(g) of the Terrorism Act. Justice
Omotosho ruled that every element of each count was proved by prosecution evidence, including intercepted Radio Biafra recordings, transcripts, and witness testimony. Kanu offered no defence after his no-case submission was overruled in September. His lawyers have already filed a notice of appeal.