Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyers on Thursday told reporters at the Federal High Court in Abuja that they will challenge the life sentence issued against the IPOB leader. The decision came shortly after Justice James Omotosho delivered the ruling that convicted and sentenced Kanu on terrorism charges.
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Kanu’s legal representative, Aloy Ejimakor, who was at the court in a consultative role, spoke to journalists outside the courtroom. He said the defence team believes the judgment is faulty and will take the matter to the Court of Appeal. He questioned why spoken words were treated as grounds for conviction at the Federal High Court, insisting that the ruling raises many concerns.
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Ejimakor explained that the Court of Appeal will be their first step because it is the court that reviews matters in a manner similar to a jury. He said the judges there will be asked to examine everything that happened during the trial and determine whether the process was fair.
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He added that if the Court of Appeal does not rule in their favour, they will continue the legal battle at the Supreme Court. According to him, the defence is confident that the conviction will be overturned and that Kanu will not remain under the current judgment.
The lawyer criticised the basis of the conviction, saying the charges were tied only to statements made during broadcasts and not to any physical act. He argued that the ruling did not match the evidence presented and described the punishment as extreme for what he claimed were only verbal expressions. He questioned why the court linked the broadcasts to terrorism when no direct link to any violent act was established in the judgment.
The defence team insisted that the sentence is too broad and unfair, and they plan to use all legal steps available to contest the decision. The ruling followed years of hearings and heightened public attention around Kanu’s activities and the government’s case against him.
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