Nnamdi Kanu Challenges Terrorism Conviction in Court

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is contesting his terrorism conviction in a Nigerian court, seeking to compel the court to specify the law under which he was sentenced. His brother, Princ Emmanuel Kanu, has publicly supported this demand, arguing that no Nigerian court can validly convict an individual unless the offense is defined by existing written law.

This legal challenge is rooted in Section 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that a person cannot be convicted of a criminal offense unless it is clearly defined in written law. The court proceedings are set to focus on November 20, 2025, when Kanu will challenge the validity of the law used for his conviction.

Princ Emmanuel Kanu contends that the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022, which was used in the prosecution, is invalid due to its reliance on provisions from the repealed Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act of 2013. The Kanu family believes that the appeal will clarify whether there exists a valid written law at the time of the conviction.