By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is set to appeal against the life imprisonment and other jail terms handed him by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, November 20.
This was disclosed by Kanu’s former lawyer and consultant, Aloy Ejimakor, shortly after Justice James Omotosho convicted Kanu on all seven terrorism-related charges filed against him by the Federal Government.
Ejimakor, while reacting to the judgment, told journalists that the defence team would immediately move to the Court of Appeal.
He said: “We are going to appeal. From here, we are heading to the Court of Appeal. It is the only court in the country that sits as a jury, and we are going to approach the justices there to review what happened in court today.”
The lawyer further described the sentencing as a “travesty of justice” and expressed confidence that the appellate court will overturn the conviction.
“If the Court of Appeal disagrees with us, we will proceed to the Supreme Court. But by God Almighty, Nnamdi Kanu is not going to stand convicted. He is going to get overturned,” he added.
Also in a tweet in reaction to the judgment, Ejimakor said the sentence will not stand, adding that the IPOB leader is not a terrorist.
He tweeted: “The verdict and the sentence today will not stand. MAZI NNAMDI KANU is not a terrorist. NDIGBO are not terrorists. We all know who the real terrorists are and luckily, the Americans know them too.”
Ejimakor further stated that some of the broadcast evidence the court used in convicting Kanu were harmless speeches.
He said: “How can you convict a man for making mere broadcasts from a location that was never named and you never tied the broadcasts to any single incidence of violence?”
Ojimakor argued that the judgment is not grounded in law, logic, or fact.
Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment for counts 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, instead of a death sentence. On count 3, he was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment without fine, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for count 7.
Justice Omotosho said the sentences should run concurrently and also ruled that Kanu should not be allowed to use digital devices and be kept in protective custody.
