Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has formally filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, challenging the life sentences imposed on him by a Federal High Court and alleging “a grave miscarriage of justice.”
Kanu, currently held at the Sokoto Correctional Centre following his conviction on seven terrorism-related counts, is seeking to overturn the November 20, 2025 ruling delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the appeal document, Kanu raised 22 grounds on which he argues that the trial was flawed, asserting that the lower court committed significant legal errors. Among his claims, he contended that the trial judge failed to resolve jurisdictional issues and ignored pending procedural objections before proceeding with the hearing and judgment.
According to the notice of appeal, the IPOB leader argued that the trial court “failed to resolve fundamental jurisdictional issues before proceeding with the trial,” and that crucial motions, objections, and bail applications were not addressed by the court prior to conviction.
Kanu also challenged the admissibility of evidence used against him, saying that alleged broadcasts and other materials were “neither properly authenticated nor conclusively linked” to him, a key point in his case.
The appeal further disputes the interpretation of his absence from Nigeria between 2017 and 2021, which the trial court treated as evidence of evasion. Kanu insisted this period was “not voluntary but compelled by state actions.”
Among the reliefs sought, Kanu asked the appellate court to “quash the conviction in its entirety, set aside all sentences imposed, and discharge and acquit” him on all charges. He also expressed a preference to be present at the appeal hearing, saying he “may elect to conduct his defence personally” before the Court of Appeal.
Observers note that Kanu’s appeal comes amid ongoing debates over the fairness of his trial and the legal basis for his conviction, which included charges of terrorism, incitement, and membership of a proscribed organisation.
