Nigerian Separatist Leader Nnamdi Kanu Found Guilty of Terrorism

Fri Nov 21 2025 06:40:17 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a landmark ruling, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (Ipob), was convicted on multiple terrorism charges in Nigeria. The case draws international attention as it highlights ongoing tensions in the region.

A Nigerian court has convicted Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist movement Ipob, on seven charges including terrorism and treason. The ruling concludes a decade-long legal saga surrounding Kanu's campaign for an independent Biafra, with potential penalties looming as the sentencing phase begins.

A court in Nigeria has found separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu guilty of terrorism following a decade-long legal case full of drama.

The court said it was satisfied that Kanu had made a series of broadcasts to incite violence and killings, as part of his campaign for a separate state in south-east Nigeria, known as Biafra.

Kanu has been convicted on all seven charges he faced - as well as terrorism, they included treason and involvement with an outlawed movement.

The court has adjourned, with the judge expected to hand down a sentencing later on Thursday. Kanu could face the death penalty, although this is rarely carried out in Nigeria.

Kanu always denied the charges and challenged the court's jurisdiction to put him on trial.

Once a relatively obscure figure, he came to national prominence in 2009 when he started Radio Biafra, a station that called for an independent state for the Igbo people, broadcast to Nigeria from London.

Though he grew up in south-eastern Nigeria, where he attended the University of Nsukka, Kanu moved to the UK before graduating, and acquired British nationality.

In 2014, he set up the Indigenous People Of Biafra (Ipob), a movement demanding independence.

Ipob was banned as a terrorist organization in 2017. Its armed wing - the Eastern Security Network - has been accused of killings and other acts of violence in recent years.

Delivering his judgement, Judge James Omotosho stated: Mr Kanu knew what he was doing, he was bent on carrying out these threats without consideration to his own people. He added that Kanu carried out preparatory acts of terrorism.

Kanu is a popular figure in his movement's heartland in south-eastern Nigeria, but the reaction to the verdict there has so far been muted.

The judgement was delivered after Kanu had been forcibly removed from the courtroom for unruly behaviour. His lawyers maintain he was detained in Kenya and forcibly returned to Nigeria, a claim that Kenya has not commented on.

The calls for Biafran independence date back many years. In 1967, Igbo leaders declared a Biafran state, but after a brutal civil war which led to significant loss of life, the secessionist rebellion was ultimately defeated. Many Igbo still feel marginalized by the Nigerian state, but it remains unclear how many support independence today.