A Nigerian court on Thursday convicted separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu on seven terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Kanu, founder of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has long campaigned for the creation of an independent state in southeastern Nigeria. IPOB has been accused of terrorism and extrajudicial killings in the region.
The charges against Kanu included carrying out acts of terrorism, enforcing weekly stay-at-home orders that paralyze the southeast every Monday, providing instructions on making bombs to target government facilities, and incitement. Kanu has repeatedly rejected the court’s authority.
READ ALSO: Separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu found guilty on terrorism charges in Nigerian court
“The right to self-determination is a political right,” Judge James Omotosho said, adding that “any self-determination not done according to the constitution of Nigeria is illegal.”
Although prosecutors sought the death penalty, Omotosho chose to impose a life sentence, citing mercy and international views on capital punishment.
“I must temper justice with mercy. The court will follow the admonition of Jesus Christ in the above passage and show mercy to the convict. In addition, the death penalty globally is being frowned upon by the international community,” the judge ruled, according to AP’s report.
Kanu’s campaign seeks to revive the short-lived Biafra, a region that seceded from Nigeria between 1967 and 1970, sparking a civil war that left at least three million people dead before Biafran troops surrendered.
Kanu was re-arrested in 2021 in Kenya after failing to appear in court in 2015. Last month, he dismissed his entire legal team and renewed his objection to the court proceedings, refusing to defend himself.
“The court lacks jurisdiction to try me. My charge sheet does not contain any written law in Nigeria,” Kanu told the court before his conviction.
Earlier this year, Lagos-based geopolitical consultancy SBM Intelligence reported that the violent enforcement of the stay-at-home orders had caused at least 700 deaths and cost the country 7.6 trillion naira ($5.3 billion).
In a related case abroad, Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa was convicted in Finland in September for terrorism-related activities. Ekpa, who holds Finnish citizenship, was sentenced to six years in prison for participation in a terrorist group, public incitement to commit a crime for terrorist purposes, and aggravated tax fraud.
What’s your take on Nnamdi Kanu’s sentence?
READ ALSO: Nigerian court rules separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu must face terrorism trial
