Di 22 grounds wey Nnamdi Kanu give as reason to appeal im conviction by di Federal High Court
Nnamdi Kanu, di leader of di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), don file appeal for di Court of Appeal against di life imprisonment sentence wey di Federal High Court bin sama am sake of accuse of terrorism.
Justice James Omotosho bin sentence Kanu to life imprisonment on 20 November, 2025, afta e find am guilty of all di seven count charges wey di Nigeria govment bin sama am.
Omotosho also sentence Kanu to 20 years in prison sake of im membership and leadership of a group wey di Nigeria govment bin don describe as terrorist organisation; and anoda five years in prison sake of accuse say e bin import radio transmitter illegally into di kontri.
But for di appeal, Nnamdi Kanu tell di court of appeal say Justice Omotosho commit plenty error for im judgement.
Na Kanu by imsef file di notice of appeal, but e put di address of one of im lawyers, Maxwell Opara, bicos e now don dey for prison for Sokoto State.
Wetin be Kanu grounds for appeal
Kanu write down 22 grounds of appeal wey e tok say be di errors wey di lower court bin commit for im trial, and wich na why im conviction suppose dey reversed.
Di first one be say Kanu accuse Justice Omotosho say e bin fail to resolve di issue wey make di original trial to dey disrupted, and dis failure na miscarriage of Justice.
Remember say Kanu trial bin start originally for 2015 and court grant am bail in 2017.
However, for September 2017, Nigerian soldiers wey dey engage for one security operation wey dem call 'Operation Python Dance', bin attack Kanu house for Umuahia Abia State, wia, according to Kanu, dem kill plenty pipo, and na dis attack force Kanu to run for im life.
So Kanu tell di Court of Appeal say di federal high court suppose first determine di implication of dis attack for Nnamdi Kanu home bifor proceeding wit di main trial.
Secondly, Kanu argue say di trial court refuse or neglect to hear and determine di preliminary objections wey im bin file challenging di competence of di proceedings, rather e go ahead to deliver judgement wen di preliminary objections still dey pending.
Di oda reasons na:
- Say di trial Judge commit error by treating an interim stay of execution order as if to say e dey capable of lawfully suspending di operative effect of di Court of Appeal final criminal judgment of discharge and nullity
- Say di trial Judge err for law by subjecting di Appellant to renewed jeopardy in respect of substantially overlapping facts and allegations contrary to Section 36(9) of di Nigeria Constitution
- Say Justice Omotosho bin go ahead to deliver judgement wen di defendant get pending bail application bifor am wey e no rule on
- Say di trial judge bin rely on Nnamdi Kanu absence from court from 2017 to 2021, to give ruling wey no favour di defendant, but e refuse to consider di reason why di defendant bin dey absent
- Say di trial court bin go ahead to retry case wey di Court of Appeal bin don declare a nullity for October 2022, but di court suppose to first of all resolve di legal effect of dat nullity declaration
- Say afta di Supreme Court rule say make Kanu trial continue, e still no resolve di issue of foundational competence of di matter, and di trial court suppose first resolve am
- Say di trial judge commit error for law by convicting Kanu based on di Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013 wey don dey repealed and replaced by di Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022
- Say for count 1, di trial court commit error as e convict Kanu witout proof beyond reasonable doubt but e rely only on di words of prosecution witnesses
- Say di trial court also commit error as e convict Kanu on count 2 sake of accuse of broadcast wey e bin make, witout proper authentication, proof of transmission, authorship or intimidating effect on di population.
- Say di court also commit error by ruling over allegations of offence wey no hapun for Nigeria, especially di broadcast wey dem allege say Kanu bin make
- Say Justice Omotosho err for law by going ahead to convict Kanu witout allowing am to conclude im defence and to file im final written address
- Say di court also commit error by convicting Kanu witout admissible evidence say e bin member and leader of Ipob, and also ignoring di ruling of Justice Binta Nyako of di federal high court on March 1, 2017
- Say di court commit error by convicting Kanu on count 4 and 5 witout proof of any inciting communication or anybodi wey tok say e take any action sake of di communication
- Say na error for di court to convict Kanu on count 6 witout proof say e manufacture any bomb or explosive or say anybody manufacture am bicos of directive wey Kanu give
- Say di court err for law by convicting Kanu on count 7 witout proof say e true-true import any transmitter or say e dey connected wit di importation
- Say di court commit error by overruling di no-case submission wey Kanu bin file, witout applying di standard to determine a prima facie case
- Say di court err for law to convict Kanu wen no victim or direct witness testify say di crimes wey dem accuse am of even occur true-true
- Say "di decision of di trial Judge dey unreasonable, unwarranted" and di weight of evidence wey di prosecution bin present no dey enuf to support di conviction
- Say di court bin commit error as e fail to apply di African Charter on Human and Peoples Right wey di defendant bin rely on to raise issues of fair trial and liberty
- Say di court bin err for law as e sentence Kanu afta conviction witout giving im opportunity to address di court in mitigation
Wetin Kanu dey ask from Court of Appeal
Based on di errors wey Kanu tok say di trial court commit, e ask di court of appeal to reverse im conviction on top all di seven-count charges wey di court bin find am guilty.
Kanu also ask di appeal court to set aside di sentence and punishment wey di trial court bin sama am, and also for di appeal court to discharge and acquit am "in respect of all di counts.
Di Ipob leader also inform di Appeal Court say im go like to dey present for di appeal hearing bicos e fit be say e go represent imsef for di appeal.
Di date wey Kanu file di appeal na 4 February 2026, but di appeal court neva fix date wen di hearing go hapun.
