Nnamdi Kanu appeals life sentence, asks Court of Appeal to quash conviction

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has filed an appeal against the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment for terrorism-related offences.

In a notice of appeal dated February 4, 2026, and personally signed by Kanu, he urged the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, to set aside his conviction in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.

The appeal was made public by his legal consultant, Aloy Ejimakor, who confirmed that Kanu is seeking an order quashing the judgment of the trial court and discharging and acquitting him on all counts.

Kanu informed the appellate court that he was convicted for acts preparatory to or in furtherance of terrorism, an offence punishable under Section 1(2)(b) of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013, for which he received a life sentence.

He was also convicted over a broadcast allegedly made on or about May 30, 2021, which was received and heard in Nigeria, wherein he was accused of issuing threats linked to the enforcement of sit-at-home orders.

In his appeal, Kanu argued that the trial court failed to follow due process, claiming that he was sentenced without allocutus and that the court did not consider relevant mitigating and sentencing factors before imposing the maximum punishment.

Recall that on November 20, 2025, the Federal High Court sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on a seven-count terrorism charge linked to his separatist agitation, which prosecutors said escalated into violence in parts of the South-East, South-South, as well as sections of Benue and Kogi states.