Wia dis foto come from, STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Article Information
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- Author, Chukwunaeme Obiejesi
- Role, Reporter
- 20 November 2025, 16:23 WAT
New Informate 30 minutes wey don pass
Di leader of di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), Nigeria biggest secessionist movement, dem don find am guilty of terrorism and sentence am to life imprisonment.
Nnamdi Kanu, wey also be British citizen, don dey stand trial since October 2015 wen dem first arrest am for Lagos shortly afta e come into Nigeria from London wia e base.
E plead not guilty to a seven-count charge of terrorism and illegal importation of broadcasting equipment, and e refuse to enta a defence, as e insist say di charges against am no dey valid.
Good governance activist turn separation leader
Wia dis foto come from, STEFAN HEUNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Wetin we call dis foto, Nnamdi Kanu stand in front of im Afara Ukwu house for Umuahia, Abia State
Kanu first come into limelight during one protest for 2012 by Nigerians wey dey live for di UK against di activities of Boko Haram terrorists for Nigeria northeast region.
As one of di leaders of di protest, Kanu grant a viral interview wia e say among oda tins say if dem do nothing to stop Islamic extremism for Nigeria, “e go lead to di violent disintegration of di kontri”.
“Dos of us for di UK dey determined to work wit di govment for peace. But one tin we no fit stomach na repeat of 1966. Wetin dey happun today for Nigeria na di reason why Nigeria fight bitter civil war for three years between 1967 and 1970. If dis kontinu, anoda civil war go dey for Nigeria.
“So, e dey necessari say evribodi wey get di interest of Nigeria for heart to act now to stop dis nonsense make e no kontinue,” Kanu tok for dat interview.
Later dat same 2012, Kanu form Indigenous People of Biafra or Ipob, and start a full-blown secessionist movement wey di sole objective na for di southeastern region of Nigeria – wey dey dominated majorly by di Igbo speaking ethnic group – to become dia own independent kontri called Biafra.
Wit im Radio Biafra wey dey based for London and through di social media, Kanu propagated Ipob agenda and gada massive sake of pipo wey dey obey im order to di last command.
For 2015, di Nigerian govment arrest Kanu and so begin di trial wey last more dan a decade.
One trial – Five Judges
Justice James Omotosho wey deliver Thursday 20 November 2025 final judgement na di fifth Judge wey preside ova di case during di ten-year life span.
Di first judge na Shuiabu Usman wey dey in charge of a Magistrates’ Court for Abuja wia di mata first dey filed, but e reject di jurisdiction. Dem refile di case for di Federal High Court and assign to Justice Adeniyi Ademola.
From Justice Ademola, di case dey reassigned to John Tsoho, den to Binta Nyako and yet again to James Omotosho, all becos say Kanu dey ask di judges to recuse demsef from di trial as e no get confidence in dem.
Bail, re-arrest and trial resumption
Wetin we call dis foto, Nnamdi Kanu on 29 June, 2021 after im arrest and return to Nigeria
For April 2017, Justice Nyako grant Kanu bail on health grounds, but e jump bail months later and run comot from di kontri, wey make di court, for 2019, to revoke im bail and order im re-arrest.
Two years later, security operatives arrest Kanu for Kenya and dem bring am back to Nigeria to kontinue im trial.
Kanu lawyers claim say im re-arrest and repatriation dey illegal and one Kenyan court for June dat year rule say di Ipob leader dey “forcibly removed from Kenya witout following di law and e violate im rights and fundamental freedoms”.
Di court award 10 million Kenyan shillings ($77,000) against di kontri govment.
Back in Nigeria, howeva, di govment rearraigned Kanu on an amended 15-count charge, including for broadcasts wia e allegedly make call for im followers to attack security personnel and also destroy govment buildings and property.
E plead not guilty again
Sake of application by im lawyers, di court strike out eight of di 15 counts, and leave seven wey dem say Kanu get a case to ansa.
Kanu counsel file appeal bifor di Nigerian Court of Appeal, and for di landmark judgement wey dem deliver for October 2022, di appelate court strike out all di charges against Kanu and discharge am.
Di higher court hold say Kanu repatriation to Nigeria na illegality and dat mean say no charge against am fit stand.
Howeva, di Supreme Court, wey be Nigeria highest court, reverse dat judgement, and order make dem return di case to di high court for Kanu to face di remaining seven counts.
Na shortly afta Binta Nyako resume di trial, na im Kanu declare say e no longer get confidence in di judge and call on her to recuse herself. She wash hand comot for di case.
Di case come dey reassigned to Justice James Omotosho and e start ‘de novo’. Again Kanu plead not guilty to di charges.
Di Nigerian govment call a total of five witnesses, all of dem na operatives of Nigeria secret police – di Department of State Services (DSS) – wey dey involved for Kanu investigation from wen di trial bin start for 2015.
Afta di prosecution don close dia case, Kanu counsels filed a no-case submission, wit argument say no prima facie case dey established against dia client.
Di court overrule di no-case submission and hold say indeed a prima facie case don dey established against Kanu wia e suppose to put in im defence.
Wetin follow on di next adjourned date na drama. Kanu lead counsel Kanu Agabi, a senior advocate of Nigeria and former Attornery General of di Federation, inform di court say all di oda counsels wey dey represent di defendant for di trial don dey debriefed, and say di defendant don choose to defend imsef going forward.
Kanu by imsef confam to di court say e go defend imsef.
Howeva, instead of to enta a defence Kanu say dat di charges against am na based on laws wey no dey exist and diafore e no dey valid.
“No extant law for di kontri upon wey di prosecution fit out di charges against me. Make dem no force me to enta a defence for a charge wey no exist under any law for Nigeria,” Kanu tok for court during one of di hearings.
Di Ipob leader also maintain say di court lack jurisdiction to try am on di basis of how dem illegally capture am for Kenya and carry am come Nigeria.
But Justice Omotosho insist say di trial no longer dey stage wia interlocutory objections go dey entertained.
E ask make di defendant “in di name of Almighty God” to start im defence, as e assure say am say all im objections go dey considered during di final judgement.
Afta six adjournments and Kanu still insist say e no get any valid charges against am, di court give a ruling to close im defence and hold say di defendant don waive im right to defend imsef.
Wetin we call dis foto, Nnamdi Kanu wear white sidon in-between security operatives inside court
Wetin now?
Since Kanu rearrest for June 2021, violent attacks don increase for di southeastern region of Nigeria wia e come from.
Dozens of security personnel dey killed by gunmen wey di police say na members of di Eastern Security Network (ESN), di armed section of Ipob set up by Nnamdi Kanu to protect di region from violent herdsmen attacks.
Many civilians also don lose dia lives as di gunmen violently enforce a weekly sit-at-home order throughout di region, for protest of di arrest and trial of Kanu.
Ipob don deny say dem order a sit-at-home campaigns, but masked gunmen don appear for viral videos on social media wia dem say di situation go remain until dem free Kanu.
Some legal and political analyst wey tok to di BBC believe say to send Kanu to prison no go end di situation. Dem say a political solution go solve am.
“I believe say President (Ahmed) Tinubu wan take di applause as di one wey pardon Kanu. I know say e no go kill am,” Barr Felix Jonathan, Secretary General of di association of Igbo lawyers, tok for an interview.
