ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has approached the Court of Appeal, challenging his conviction and multiple prison sentences handed down by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a notice of appeal dated February 4, 2026, Kanu argued that his trial was fundamentally flawed, insisting it was marred by serious legal errors that amounted to a miscarriage of justice.
Kanu is appealing against his conviction on seven counts, including terrorism-related offences, for which he was sentenced to five life terms alongside additional prison sentences on November 20, 2025.
In his grounds of appeal, the IPOB leader faulted the trial court for what he described as a failure to address a “foundational disruption” of the proceedings following the 2017 military operation at his Afara-Ukwu residence in Abia State.
He contended that the trial continued and judgment was delivered despite a pending preliminary objection challenging the competence of the proceedings.
Kanu also accused the court of delivering judgment while his bail application was still unresolved, arguing that the move compromised the fairness of the trial.
A major plank of his appeal is the claim that he was convicted under a repealed law. According to him, the trial judge erred by sentencing him under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013, despite its repeal by the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, which was already in force before judgment was delivered.
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He further alleged that his retrial violated the constitutional protection against double jeopardy, citing Section 36(9) of the 1999 Constitution, and arguing that he was prosecuted again on facts earlier nullified by the Court of Appeal.
Kanu also claimed he was denied fair hearing, stating that he was not allowed to file or adopt a final written address before the court delivered its verdict.
Among the reliefs sought, he urged the appellate court to quash his conviction and sentences, and to discharge and acquit him on all counts.
He further notified the court of his intention to be physically present at the appeal hearing, indicating that he may choose to conduct his case personally.
“I want to be present at the hearing of the appeal because I may be conducting the appeal in person,” he stated.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on November 20, 2025, sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment.
He is currently being held at a correctional facility in Sokoto State, following the court’s refusal of his application seeking transfer to another prison.