Court Hands Nnamdi Kanu Life Sentence After Rejecting Bid For Self-Defence
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment, drawing a decisive close to a trial that has shadowed Nigeria’s security landscape for years and stirred intense political debate across the country. In a ruling delivered with deliberate clarity, Justice Inyang Ekwo Omotosho held that the embattled leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra had been given every opportunity to defend himself but repeatedly chose not to. It was a moment that hung heavily in the air as the judge remarked that the court could not compel a defendant to take up a defense he had willingly declined. Justice Omotosho affirmed that Kanu’s longstanding complaints about his alleged illegal rendition from Kenya could not halt the criminal proceedings against him. The court maintained that extradition procedures apply strictly between nations bound by treaty arrangements, noting that such arguments did not vitiate the charges before it. The proceedings, marked by tight security and a tense courtroom, reflected the gravity of a case that has shaped public discourse and strained political nerves. As the sentence was read, a palpable silence fell, the kind that often follows the last page of a long and exhausting chapter in national life. The judgment now cements Kanu’s conviction for terrorism-related offenses, setting the stage for what may become another protracted legal and political contest in the months ahead.
| 2025-11-20 17:47:44