The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja to contest his conviction and life imprisonment sentence imposed by the Federal High Court.
In a Notice of Appeal dated February 4, 2026, Kanu is urging the appellate court to overturn the judgment delivered in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, which found him guilty of multiple terrorism-related offences.
Kanu was convicted in November 2025 and sentenced to life imprisonment on seven counts bordering on terrorism. One of the charges included committing acts deemed preparatory to, or in furtherance of, terrorism, contrary to Section 1(2)(b) of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013. The trial court imposed the maximum sentence for this offence.
Another count stemmed from a broadcast allegedly made by Kanu on or about May 30, 2021, which was received in Nigeria. In the broadcast, he was accused of threatening members of the public by warning that anyone who disobeyed a sit-at-home order should prepare a will, an act the prosecution argued was intended to intimidate the population.
In his appeal, Kanu argued that the trial court erred both in law and procedure by sentencing him without granting him the right of allocutus, which allows a convicted person to address the court before sentencing. He maintained that this omission amounted to a violation of his right to fair hearing.
He also contended that the court failed to consider relevant mitigating factors and other essential principles of sentencing before imposing life imprisonment, describing the punishment as excessive and unjustified.
Kanu is asking the Court of Appeal to allow his appeal in full, quash his conviction on all counts, and set aside the life sentence imposed by the trial judge.
Among the reliefs sought are orders quashing, reversing, and setting aside the conviction and sentences handed down by the Federal High Court, as well as an order discharging and acquitting him of all the charges.
The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CR/…/2026, lists Nnamdi Kanu as the appellant, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria named as the respondent.
This latest legal action marks another step in Kanu’s ongoing effort to challenge the outcome of his trial and the severity of the punishment, as he remains in custody at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
Kanu Challenges Life Sentence, Files Appeal Against Terrorism Conviction
