Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has officially filed a notice of appeal challenging his conviction and multiple sentences.

Kanu insisted that the trial was riddled with fundamental legal errors and amounted to a miscarriage of justice.

In the notice of appeal dated February 4, 2026, Kanu said he was appealing against his conviction and sentences on seven counts, including terrorism-related offences, for which he received five life sentences and additional prison 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 for offences 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 the leader and member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a proscribed organisation in Nigeria,” among others.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered the judgment on November 20, 2025, sentencing Kanu to five life terms for terrorism-related offences, 20 years’ imprisonment for being the leader of the proscribed IPOB, and five years’ imprisonment with no option of fine for importing a radio transmitter without a licence.

In his grounds of appeal, the IPOB leader accused the trial court of failing to resolve what he described as a “foundational disruption of the original trial process” following the 2017 military operation at his Afara-Ukwu residence.

“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 also contended that the court proceeded to trial and judgment while his preliminary objection challenging the competence 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 faulted the court for delivering judgment while his bail application was still pending, arguing that this affected 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He also claimed that the trial court convicted him under a law that had already been repealed, stating that “the learned trial judge erred in law by convicting and sentencing the Appellant under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013,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 argued that he was subjected to double jeopardy, contrary to Section 36(9) of the 1999 Constitution, after being retried on facts he said had earlier been nullified by the Court of Appeal.

He also complained that he was denied fair hearing, claiming that he was not allowed to file or present a final written address before judgment was delivered.

Among the reliefs sought, Kanu asked the Court of Appeal to allow the appeal, quash his conviction and sentences, and “discharge and acquit the Appellant in respect of all the counts.”

He also informed the appellate court of his desire to be present at the hearing of the appeal, stating, “I want to be present at the hearing of the appeal because I may be conducting the appeal in person.”

Kanu is currently being held at a correctional facility in Sokoto State, after his application to be transferred to a different facility in either Niger or Nasarawa State was denied.

Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has reportedly registered as a member of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, according to a former chairman of Abeokuta South Local Government.

It was gathered that the former senator of Ogun Central completed her e-registration on Tuesday at Ibogun, Ward 11, Ifo Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the development on Wednesday, Biodun Ajayi, former Chairman of Abeokuta South Local Government and a close ally of Prof. Obasanjo, told Vanguard that the registration was successfully concluded.

Ajayi, who currently serves as a Commissioner with the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, said: “I can confirm to you that Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo completed her online registration as a member of our great party, the APC, on Tuesday at Ibogun Ward 11 in Ifo Local Government.”

A five-man panel of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji has dismissed the trial of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd) concerning the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.

Kudirat Abiola was the wife of the late businessman cum politician, Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election that was annulled by former President Ibrahim Babangida.

Mrs Kudirat Abiola was, however, murdered in Lagos in the nationwide crisis that followed the annulment and in the course of her persistent struggle to get the annulment reversed by the military.

The trial of Al-Mustapha on the murder charges brought against him by the Lagos State government was, however, put to rest on Thursday by a 5-man panel of Justices of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji.

At the proceedings where the Lagos State was slated to re-open the trial, no legal representation was made while no process was filed since 2014 when order to re-open the case was granted in favour of the state government.

When the matter was called, Paul Daudu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria stood for Al-Mustapha and informed the Justices that Lagos has not taken any step to implement the order granted it in 2014 to re-open the trial.

He said that not even a notice of appeal was filed by Lagos as the appellant to demonstrate its seriousness to prosecute the trial.

The senior lawyer informed the Apex Court that in 2014 when order to re-open the trial was granted, Lagos was issued a 30 day ultimatum to file its notice of appeal.

Daudu explained that more than nine years after, nothing was done to comply with the order.

He therefore urged the Court to hold that the appellant has abandoned the case and should be dismissed in its entirety.

Justice Uwani Aba-Aji, who presided over the matter sought to know if Lagos was served with hearing notice, the question that was answered in the affirmative by the Registrar of the Court.

In a brief ruling, the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision agreed that Lagos has lost interest in the matter and consequently abandoned it.

Justice Aba-Aji held that nine years was long enough for the appellant to have filed notice of appeal and the appeal in the matter.

Besides, the Court expressed disgust that no legal representation was made by the state government while no information was made available to the Court and the respondent.

Consequently, the matter marked SC/CR/45/2014 was dismissed.

Another matter by the Lagos governor marked SC/CR/6/2014 was also dismissed on the same ground.

The Supreme Court had in 2014 in a brief ruling on the application by Lagos State for permission to re-open the case out of time, granted the request for the Lagos to challenge the Court of Appeal decision of July 12, 2013 that discharged and acquitted Al-Mustapha from the murder case.

The then Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen in the ruling of a panel of seven Justices ordered Lagos State to file its notice of appeal within 30 days.

The decision of Justice Onnoghen on the Lagos application argued by Osunsanya Oluwayemisi, a Senior State Counsel in the Lagos Ministry of Justice followed the consent of Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Mr. Joseph Dauda SAN, not to oppose the application.

The acting CJN had said that by the decision of the apex court, the time for Lagos to appeal against the findings of the Court of Appeal on the celebrated murder case has been extended from July 12, 2013 when the Court of Appeal judgment was delivered till January 7, 2014.

By the granted permission in 2014, the coast became cleared for the Lagos to challenge the no guilty verdict granted in favour of the military officer by the Court of Appeal in 2013

In the then move to re-open the case, the Lagos State government had sought to file a notice of appeal out of the time at the Supreme Court asking for the permission of the court to allow it to challenge the Appeal Court findings of Justices Amina Adamu Augie, Rita Nosakhare Pemu and Fatimo Omoro Akinbami on ground of mis-carriage of Justice in the matter.

The state had in the application prayed the apex court to allow it to exercise its constitutional right to test the validity and correctness of the decision of the Appeal Court.

It claimed that it wants to raise its ground of appeal on arguable legal and factual issues especially the question of whether there is any direct or circumstantial evidence establishing the guilt passed on Al-Mustapha in the murder case.

It justified its lateness in filing the appeal on the ground that it set up two legal teams to review the circumstances of the case and the verdict of the Court of Appeal.

The government said that it took a long time for the two legal teams to present their findings and recommended that an appeal case can be filed and sustained.

The Lagos State Government said that it will ask the Supreme Court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal which on July 12, 2013 discharged and acquitted Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, in the murder case of late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.

In place of the Appeal Court decision, the state government said that it will plead with the apex court to uphold and restore the death sentence by hanging placed on the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the former dictator and late Head of State, General Sani Abacha by a Lagos High Court on January 30, 2012.

Al-Mustapha, Mohammed Abacha and one Lateef Shofolahan were arraigned before a Lagos high court on two-count criminal charge of conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola on June 4, 1996 in Lagos State.

In the judgment of the high court delivered on January 30, 2012 by Justice Moji Dada, the accused persons were found culpable as charged and sentenced them to death by hanging.

However at the Court of Appeal approached by Al-Mustapha on April 27, 2012 for the review of the trial and the conviction, the 3-member appellate court Justices in a unanimous judgment of July 12, 2013 voided the decision of the high court, set it aside and discharged and acquitted the accused on the ground that the evidence against them was not strong enough to warrant the death sentence.