A Nigerian court has delivered a guilty verdict against Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist movement advocating for an independent state of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria. Kanu was convicted on six out of seven terrorism-related charges, with the judge, James Omotosho, stating that the evidence clearly demonstrated Kanu’s involvement in inciting violence and carrying out preparatory acts of terrorism. The court highlighted that Kanu’s broadcasts, aimed at promoting Biafran independence, had incited killings and unrest. Kanu, who founded the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) in 2014, has been a controversial figure since launching Radio Biafra in 2009, which called for Igbo independence from Nigeria. Ipob was designated a terrorist organization in 2017, and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, has been accused of violent acts. Kanu, who holds British nationality, was first arrested in 2015 but fled Nigeria in 2017 after a military raid on his home. He was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021 and has since faced legal proceedings. During the trial, Kanu accused the judge of bias and claimed he was denied the opportunity to file his final written address. The verdict was delivered after Kanu was forcibly removed from the courtroom for unruly behavior. The Biafran independence movement traces back to 1967, when Igbo leaders declared a Biafran state, leading to a devastating civil war that resulted in up to a million deaths before the rebellion was quashed.
