The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently serving a life sentence at the National Correctional Centre in Sokoto for terrorism-related offences, has filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, contesting his November 20, 2025 conviction by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Kanu submitted the appeal on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, naming the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the respondent. He requested that the Court of Appeal allow his appeal and issue an order nullifying his conviction on all counts under charge No. FHC/ABG/CR/383/2015.

Additionally, Kanu is seeking a Court of Appeal order under Section 4 to overturn the sentences imposed by the Federal High Court and to discharge and acquit him on all counts. He also requested any other orders the court may deem appropriate.

The notice of appeal lists 22 grounds, arguing, among other points, that the trial judge erred in law, ignored his preliminary objections and pending bail application, and convicted him despite a prior Court of Appeal ruling that had declared earlier proceedings null and void. Kanu also contended that the trial judge failed to address procedural issues stemming from the disrupted 2017 trial and misdirected the case by treating his absence from Nigeria as adverse.
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Kanu was rearrested in Kenya in June 2021 and returned to Nigeria to face trial on seven terrorism-related charges. The case resumed under Mr. Omotosho in March 2025, after previous judicial recusals. Between May and June 2025, the court set strict timelines for the federal government to close its case. In September 2025, Kanu’s no-case submission was dismissed, and a medical panel was appointed to determine his fitness to stand trial.

In October 2025, Kanu dismissed his legal team and chose to represent himself, repeatedly refusing to open his defence, arguing there was no valid charge against him. After attempts to persuade him to present a defence failed, the judge concluded that he had waived this right. On November 20, 2025, the judge convicted Kanu on all seven counts and sentenced him to life imprisonment.