THE Federal High Court Abuja has convicted the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr Nnamdi Kanu, on all the 7 counts brought before it by the Nigerian government.

Justice James Omotosho ruled on Thursday that Nnamdi Kanu committed terrorism offences through his broadcasts, noting that his actions would not be defended under any circumstances.

Justice Motosho upheld all the 7 counts presented before the court by the prosecution, ruling that the Nigerian government proved its case beyond reasonable doubt that Kanu committed all the offences preferred against him.

He ruled that evidence showed that the defendant (Kanu) was not just a member of IPOB but the leader of the proscribed organisation and commanded the commanders of the group, including the Eastern Security Network (ESN), contrary to the Nigerian constitution.

Justice Omotosho ruled the Kanu encouraged the public to take up arms against security agents in his broadcast of October 21, 2020. Omotosho equally ruled that Kanu incited people against the relatives of security personnel through his broadcasts. Kanu, he ruled, also incited the public to destroy people’s properties, including the Lagos airports and Lagos Oriental Hotel, which he thought belonged to Bola Tinubu.

The judge wondered whether Mr Kanu’s orders to burn down buildings and kill security personnel were also part of agitation for self-determination. “Will destroying the property amount to an act of agitation? The action of the defendant was clear: To kill security officers and cause anarchy. The defendant did not feel remorse about the families of security officers killed through his broadcasts,” the judge noted.

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He further noted that Kanu incited the public to kill 128 military officers, 38 police officers, while destroying several police stations and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including killing several Nigerians of the South-East descent.

He described Kanu as an international terrorist for inciting the public to kill a British high commissioner, further noting that he equally intended to torch the United States’ embassy, contrary to international laws. He described Kanu’s plan to attack the embassy or the high commissioner as an international terrorism act.

He said leaving the defendant to commit an international terrorism acts was dangerous to not only Nigeria but also the nation’s relationship with the United States.

The judge noted that anybody had a right to agitate for self-determination by asking the National Assemby for amendment but stressed that nobody in Nigeria had a right to call for the division of the country.

“The defendant’s behaviour in court was unruly and arrogant. He also threatened that no court could convict him, which is an affront on the court. It is important to note that his orders have affected his own people. His threat of violence has prevented his own people from trading and going to school.”

Mr Kanu was first arrested on October 14, 2015 and re-arrested on treason charges in Lagos on June 27, 2021, by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He has been in prison since then despite an appeal court verdict on October 13, 2023, ordering his release.

The Nigerian government argues that his IPOB group is a terrorist organisation and commits acts of terrorism, though Kanu claims it is a legal institution fighting for the freedom of South-East Nigeria citizens.

However, several Nigerians wonder why Kanu had ordered the killings of several Nigerians, including his people who he claims to fight for.

The Nigerian Army disclosed in 2021 that the Eastern Security Network (ESN) set up by the proscribed IPOB killed 128 military and police personnel, as well as 15 civil defence officers, and 31 community policing members in the South-East.