The legal team of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has announced plans to appeal his life imprisonment, insisting that the conviction delivered by the Federal High Court is fundamentally flawed.
Speaking to journalists shortly after Justice James Omotosho handed down the ruling, Kanu’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who appeared in a consultative capacity, confirmed that the defence would immediately proceed to the Court of Appeal.
Defense to Challenge Conviction
“What kind of precedent is being laid here? We are heading to the Court of Appeal,” Ejiofor said, questioning the basis of the conviction.
“No individual should be sentenced to life imprisonment over spoken words alone. The verdict is not consistent with the evidence laid before the court. The sentence is overbroad, cruel and unusual.”
Plans for Supreme Court if Necessary
Ejiofor indicated that if the Court of Appeal disagrees with their arguments, the team will escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.
“This is the only day I have witnessed a man being convicted for mere pronouncements, just for what he said from his mouth, not what he did with his own hands,” he added.
“How can you convict a man for making a mere broadcast from a location that was never named and he never tied that broadcast to any single incident of violence, or even someone slapping someone, not to talk of terrorism?”
Next Steps
The defence team has reiterated their commitment to challenging the ruling, describing the life sentence as a travesty of justice that they believe will ultimately be overturned.
