Nnamdi Kanu, the imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has launched a legal challenge against his life sentence for terrorism-related offences, filing a notice of appeal with the Court of Appeal on Wednesday.
The IPOB leader, currently serving his sentence at the National Correctional Centre in Sokoto, is seeking to overturn his conviction by the Federal High Court in Abuja handed down on 20 November 2025.
In the appeal filed on 4 February 2026, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria named as respondent, Kanu is requesting that the Court of Appeal quash his conviction on all counts in charge No. FHC/ABG/CR/383/2015. He is also seeking the reversal of all sentences imposed by the Federal High Court and an order for his complete discharge and acquittal.
The 22-ground appeal raises several legal arguments, including claims that the trial judge failed to address his preliminary objections and bail application, proceeded despite a prior Court of Appeal ruling declaring earlier proceedings null and void, and failed to resolve procedural issues stemming from the disrupted 2017 trial.
Kanu further contends that the judge improperly treated his absence from Nigeria as evidence against him, convicted him under repealed legislation, subjected him to retrial on overlapping facts, and imposed sentences without hearing mitigation pleas.
The case dates back to October 2015, when Kanu was first arrested on charges including treasonable felony and illegal weapons possession. After being granted bail in 2017, he fled Nigeria following what he described as a military raid on his residence. He was rearrested in Kenya in June 2021 and returned to face seven terrorism-related charges.
Following judicial recusals, the case resumed under Justice Binta Nyako in March 2025. After dismissing Kanu’s no-case submission in September 2025, the court ordered a medical assessment of his fitness for trial. In October 2025, Kanu dismissed his legal team and chose self-representation, but repeatedly refused to present a defence, insisting no valid charges existed against him.
After maintaining an open window for the defence and failing to persuade Kanu to proceed, the judge ruled that he had waived his right to defend himself, leading to his conviction on all seven counts and life imprisonment on 20 November 2025.
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