Nnamdi Kanu, the incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has filed a notice of appeal against his conviction and various sentences issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja, claiming that the trial was replete with fundamental legal mistakes and a miscarriage of justice.
Kanu stated in his notice of appeal dated February 4, 2026, that he was appealing his conviction and penalties on seven charges, including terrorism-related offenses, for which he received five life sentences and additional jail terms after being found guilty on November 20, 2025.
“I, Nnamdi Kanu, the appellant, having been convicted and sentenced…do hereby give notice of appeal against my conviction,” the document stated.
Kanu was convicted of various offenses, including “committing an act preparatory to or in furtherance of an act of terrorism,” “making a broadcast with intent to intimidate the population,” and “being a leader and member of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a proscribed organization in Nigeria,” among others.
“The learned trial judge erred in law by failing to resolve the procedural and competence consequences of the foundational disruption of the original trial process in September 2017,” Kanu argued.
He further claimed that the court proceeded to trial and judgment while his preliminary objection to the competency of the proceedings remained unresolved.
“The learned trial judge did not hear or determine the objection,” the appeal document stated, adding that judgment was delivered “while the objection remained pending and undetermined.”
Kanu further criticized the court for issuing judgment while his bail application was still underway, claiming that it jeopardized the fairness of the trial process.
He also claimed that the trial court convicted him under a law that had already been repealed, stating that “the Learned Trial Judge erred in law by convicting and sentencing the Appellant under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013, notwithstanding its repeal by the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, prior to judgment.”
Kanu further claimed that he was subjected to double jeopardy, in violation of Section 36(9) of the 1999 Constitution, after being retried on facts that the Court of Appeal had previously declared invalid and void.
He further claimed that he was denied a fair hearing, as he was not permitted to file or present a final written address before judgment was rendered.
Kanu requested that the Court of Appeal grant his appeal, overturn his conviction and penalties, and “discharge and acquit the Appellant in respect of all the counts,” among other reliefs.
He also told the appellate court of his intention to be present at the appeal hearing, noting, “I want to be present at the hearing of the appeal because I may be conducting the appeal in person.”
Kanu is now being imprisoned at a jail facility in Sokoto State after his request to be relocated to another facility in Niger or Nasarawa State was denied.
