The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has approached the Court of Appeal to contest his conviction and sentences handed down by the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging grave legal flaws that, he said, undermined the entire trial.
In a notice of appeal dated February 4, 2026, Kanu challenged the judgment delivered on November 20, 2025, in which he was found guilty on seven counts bordering on terrorism and related offences.
The trial court sentenced him to five life terms, alongside additional jail terms, including 20 years for leading a proscribed organisation and five years for importing a radio transmitter without a licence.
In the appeal document, Kanu maintained that the proceedings amounted to a miscarriage of justice, insisting that the trial was conducted in breach of established legal safeguards.
He faulted the court for allegedly failing to address what he described as a fundamental disruption of the original trial process following the 2017 military operation at his Afara-Ukwu residence in Abia State.
He further argued that the trial judge proceeded to hear the case and deliver judgment despite a pending preliminary objection challenging the competence of the proceedings.
According to him, the objection was neither heard nor determined before judgment was entered.
Kanu also complained that the court delivered judgment while his bail application was still pending, a development he said compromised the fairness of the proceedings.
He accused the court of convicting him under a law that had been repealed before judgment, arguing that the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013, relied upon by the court, had been replaced by the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The IPOB leader further claimed that he was subjected to double jeopardy, contrary to Section 36(9) of the 1999 Constitution, after being tried again on facts he said had earlier been nullified by the Court of Appeal.
He also alleged a denial of fair hearing, stating that he was not given the opportunity to file or adopt a final written address before judgment was delivered.
Among the reliefs sought, Kanu urged the appellate court to set aside his conviction and sentences and enter a verdict discharging and acquitting him on all counts.
He also notified the court of his intention to be present at the hearing of the appeal, indicating that he might conduct the case personally.
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Kanu is currently being held at a correctional facility in Sokoto State, following the rejection of his request to be transferred to a facility in either Niger or Nasarawa State.
