Nigeria convicts separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu on ‘terrorism’ charges

After a trial that lasted for several years, a Nigerian court has found separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu guilty of charges relating to “terror.”

In his ruling on Thursday, Nigerian Judge James Omotosho argued that prosecutors had established that Kanu’s broadcasts and orders to his now-banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) organization sparked deadly attacks on southeast Asians and residents.

His demand for an ethnically Igbo-dominated region to become an independent Biafra state was reflected in the violence.

His belief in violence was quite clear, according to him. Omotosho claimed that these threats of violence were nothing more than terrorist acts.

Kanu, who has been in custody since his contentious re-arrest in Kenya in 2021, yelled enrageously in opposition to the proceedings and was kicked out of court prior to the decision. Any chance of a fair trial was undermined by his unlawful extradition from Kenya, he had claimed.

In 2021, Kanu entered a not-guilty plea on seven counts, including “terrorism,” treason, and spreading falsehoods against former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari.

Kanu was detained for the first time in 2015, but he escaped while being released. The government, which claimed his posts promoted attacks against security forces, was upset about his social media posts and Radio Biafra broadcasts during his absence.

Kanu was ultimately detained in Kenya and taken to court in Abuja in June 2021 after his lawyer claimed he had been mistreated while he was being held there. Kenya has denied being involved.

Since Kanu’s statements were made in London, Kanu’s lawyers argued that they shouldn’t be admissible in a Nigerian court in October 2021.

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Kanu’s attorney, said to reporters at the time, “I can’t see how someone would make a statement in London and it becomes a triable offence in this country.”

After moving to London to study economics and politics, Kanu, a dual citizen of Nigeria and British citizen, founded Radio Biafra, a mysterious, London-based radio station.

We all believe in Biafra, and one thing we all share is a pathological hatred for Nigeria, Kanu said in a broadcast of one&nbsp. I can’t even begin to express my hatred for Nigeria.