A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, November 20, 2025, sentenced, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment for terrorism offences.
The Court presided over by Justice James Omotosho, in a display of compassion, opted to sentence Kanu to life imprisonment as against the death penalty, referencing the sanctity of life and the global trend of opposing capital punishment.
Kanu, who stood trial on seven-count charge of terrorism brought against him by the Federal Government was not present in court owing to his unruly behaviour which led the trial judge, Justice James Omotosho to order security agents to take him out of the court.
Delivering judgement on Thursday, November 20, 2025, Justice James Omotosho convicted Nnamdi Kanu on all charges, but despite the potential for a death sentence on counts 1, 4, 5, and 6, the judge upheld the law and sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment.
Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution successfully established every allegation, while the defendant offered no credible defence and deliberately refused to challenge the evidence presented in court.
The trial judge further held that the IPOB leader was a person who cannot be allowed to remain in the company of sane minds and specifically described him as an “international terrorist”.
Justice Omotosho declared; “I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment for counts 1, 4, 5, and 6, instead of a death sentence. With respect to Count 3, he is hereby sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
“For Count 7, he is sentenced to five years imprisonment without no option of fine. To extend the mercy, I hereby order that the sentence shall run concurrently”.
On his decision not to hand the convict a death penalty, Justice Omotosho cited a biblical verse that espouses the virtue of mercy, coupled with the fact that capital punishment is now being frowned upon by the international community.
Shortly before the sentencing, the Federal Government, through its counsel in the matter, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, requested the court to grant the death penalty.
“The punishment prescribed for the offences in Counts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, pursuant to Section 12H of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013, is death. With all sense of humility, I say as a prosecutor that this court has no discretion in that regard.
“The only sentence Your Lordship can impose for Counts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, is death, because the law empowers you to do so, and we expect that you will,” Awomolo insisted.
However, Justice Omotosho held that even though Kanu’s crimes merited capital punishment, he opted for a life sentence to show mercy.
