Crime
Nnamdi Kanu To Appeal Life Sentence, Says Lawyer Ejimakor
Nnamdi Kanu To Appeal Life Sentence, Says Lawyer Ejimakor
Nnamdi Kanu to appeal life sentence, says lawyer Ejimakor. Aloy Ejimakor, legal consultant to Nnamdi Kanu, says the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) will appeal the federal high court ruling that sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Ejimakor spoke with journalists shortly after James Omotosho, the presiding judge, gave the ruling on Thursday.
The judge sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on counts one, four, five and six.
He also imposed 20 years on count three and five years on count seven, with all sentences to run concurrently and without an option of a fine.
However, Ejimakor challenged the ruling, noting that the defence team will file an appeal.
“What kind of precedent is being laid here? We are heading to the court of appeal,” he said.
“The court of appeal is the only court in this country, or the next court in this country, that sits as a jury; we are going to approach justices there to check out what happened in court today.
“And we are pretty sure the justices will agree with us that today was the symbol of the travesty of justice that everybody has been suspecting.
“If the court of appeal disagrees with us, we head to the supreme court; Nnamdi Kanu is not going to stand convicted, he’s going to get overturned.
“This is the only day I have witnessed a man being convicted for mere pronouncements, just for what he said from his mouth, not what he did with his own hands.
“The verdict is not consistent with the evidence laid before the court; the sentence is overbroad, cruel and unusual.
“How can you convict a man for making a mere broadcast from a location that was never named, and he never tied that broadcast to any single incident of violence, or even someone slapping someone, not to talk of terrorism?”
‘I CONGRATULATE NIGERIA’
On his part, Adegboyega Awomolo, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and lead counsel for the federal government, said Kanu’s sentence signals that no one is above the country’s law.
Awomolo thanked the judiciary for the verdict, noting that the judgement saved the country from the “claws” of the proscribed group.
“So, I congratulate Nigeria today for seeing the end of this, and let it be a warning: those who may think they are bigger than Nigeria—Nigeria is bigger than every one of us,” Awomolo said.
“The law is bigger than every one of us, and the law will take its course to deal with miscreants, to deal with terrorists, and to deal with criminals.
“You know, all of us are victims when we keep quiet; all of us are victims when we don’t do what we ought to do.
“Justice has been done and therefore Nigerians must one way or the other appreciate the judiciary.
“You remember just last Monday the president was saying that any time when Nigeria is in a big trouble or fix, the judiciary has always come to the aid to salvage Nigeria again.
“The judiciary has salvaged Nigeria from the claws, from the oppression of the proscribed IPOB.”
Nnamdi Kanu
KANU FOUND GUILTY OF TERRORISM
Earlier, the federal high court found the IPOB leader guilty on all seven counts filed against him by the federal government.
The judge held that the prosecution had successfully established every allegation against Kanu.
He noted that Kanu offered no credible defence and “deliberately refused” to challenge the evidence presented in court.
Omotosho described the IPOB leader as “a person who cannot be allowed to remain in the company of sane minds.”
He added that Kanu’s longstanding claim of being a freedom fighter could not excuse actions taken outside the bounds of the law.
According to the judge, Kanu pursued his agitation through “brutal force and terrorism”, an approach he said resulted in the “bloodshed of innocent citizens”.
EFCC Arrests Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa for Alleged Naira Mutilation In Viral Video
EFCC arrests Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa for alleged naira mutilation in viral video. The Kano Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 arrested a Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa over alleged Naira mutilation.
Inuwa was arrested following a viral video circulated on social media platforms where she was seen conspicuously cleaning mucus from her nose using Naira notes.
EFCC
Following the release of the viral video, the Commission swung into action by tracing and subsequently arrested her to answer questions.
She is currently being held at the Commission’s detention facility while investigation is ongoing.
The suspect will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
Dele Oyewale
Head, Media & Publicity
February 3, 2026
EFCC Arrests 10 Suspects, Trucks for Suspected Illegal Mining Activities in Kwara
Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested ten individuals suspected of involvement in illegal mining activities along the Ilorin – Ogbomosho axis.
They were arrested on Sunday, February 1, 2026, following credible intelligence on unlawful mineral excavation and transportation in parts of Kwara and Oyo States.
The suspects, comprising nine truck drivers and one escort were intercepted and taken into custody in a well -coordinated sting operation. Solid minerals arrested with the suspects include lithium, tin, and lepidolite.
EFCC Arrests 10 Suspects
The suspects have no requisite licences, permits, or regulatory approvals for their mining activities.
Other items recovered from the suspects are trucks loaded with the unlawfully mined materials.
The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
List Of 40 Suspects Detained Over Alleged Plot To Overthrow Tinubu Government
List of 40 suspects detained over alleged plot to overthrow Tinubu Government. Nigerian security agencies have concluded investigations into an alleged coup plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration, with at least 40 suspects detained in connection with the conspiracy.
The suspects include senior military officers, a police officer, and several civilians accused of roles ranging from reconnaissance and funding to propaganda.
According to a Premium Times report, the arrests followed a covert intelligence operation coordinated by the Army Headquarters and the State Security Service (SSS).
“Thirteen people were apprehended by the SSS, including two military personnel (one retired), one policeman, and ten civilians,” one source said.
In total, 16 serving military officers were detained for direct involvement, while others were linked to funding and incitement. Two civilians were reportedly recruited to incite civil unrest intended to justify the coup.
According to the online newspaper, one of the detained soldiers was said to have escaped custody but was later rearrested by SSS operatives in Bauchi State, according to insider accounts.
Recall that on Monday, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed that the investigation had been completed and forwarded to “appropriate superior authority in line with extant regulations.”
“Findings identified several officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government,” the military said, describing the act as “inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards required of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.”
Sources said authorities are now awaiting presidential approval to constitute a court-martial panel to try the indicted soldiers.
Investigations revealed that the coupists initially planned to disrupt the May 29, 2023 handover ceremony from former President Muhammadu Buhari to President Tinubu, but the plan was shelved due to lack of funds and logistics.
The conspiracy was allegedly reactivated in 2025, after former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva purportedly transferred nearly ₦1 billion through multiple Bureau De Change accounts to fund the operation.
Sylva and a retired senior officer identified as Major General Adamu, both accused of bankrolling the plot, are reportedly at large.
Security sources said one of the fugitive suspects has been tracked to a South American country, though his precise location remained undisclosed for security reasons.
Investigators also uncovered a chilling plan to assassinate top government officials, including President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
“They were waiting for a day when all of them would be in the country. Wherever they were, they would be assassinated,” one source revealed.
The plot allegedly relied on informants inside the Presidential Villa, who monitored the movements of top officials. The conspirators were to seize control of strategic locations such as the Presidential Villa, Niger Barracks, Armed Forces Complex, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Military
Hereunder is the full list of the alleged coupists arrested
MA Sadiq (Brigadier General) Army lHeadquarters Garrison
MA Ma’aji (Colonel) Defence Space Administration
S Bappah (Lt. Colonel) 525 Signal Regiment
AA Hayatu (Lt Colonel) 130 Battalion Main, Ogoja, Cross River State
P Dangnap (Lt Colonel) 134 Special Force Battalion
M Almakura (Lt Colonel) 197 Special Force Battalion
AA Jarma (Lt Colonel) CO, 35 Battalion Katsina
SM Gana (Lt Colonel) 115 Task Force Battalion
AD Dauda (Maj) Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji
JM GANAKS (Maj) Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji
AJ Ibrahim (Maj) Army Headquarters’ Department of Policy and Plans
MM Jiddah (Maj) 26 Battalion
MA Usman (Maj) 35 Battalion
D Yusuf (Maj) Forward Operating Base Molai (AHQ SG)
J Iliyasu (Maj) 3 Division Garrison
A Mohammed (Maj) 63 Brigade Garrison
DB Abdullahi (Lt Cdr) Naval Base Abuja
SB Adamu (Sqn Ldr) National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC)
NG Zuzu (Sqn Ldr) Headquarters, Nigeria Air Force Camp
G Binuga (Captain) 1 NMF Brigade
AA Yusuf (Captain) Nigerian Army of the School of Finance and Administration (NASFA)
1 Bello (Captain) 82 Division Garrison
SS Felix (Lt) 81 Division Provost Group
J Aminu (Lt) Headquarters Directorate of Army Public Relations (DAPR)
Nasiru Ibrahim (WO) 82 Division Garrison
Sanda Usman (Sgt) 167 Special Force Battalion
Mohammed Zubairu (Sgt) 177 Guards Battalion
Momoh Audu (Cpl) 343 Artillery Regiment
Ahmed Ibrahim (Inspector) 24 Police Mobile Force, Presidential Villa
EO Victor (Navy Capt/Rtd) 3 Abraham Avenue off Odili Road, Port Harcourt
Umoru Zekeri Julius Berger, Villa Electrician
Y Nasiru (LCpl) 82 Division Garrison
Sambo Danladi (LCpl) 82 Division Garrison
Abdul Abdullahi (SSgt) 82 Division Garrison
Ali Isah Villa Ambulance Driver
ML Mohammed (Capt) 18 Battalion
UI Yusuf (Wg Cdr) International/Helicopter Flying School, Enugu
IM Gana (Maj Gen Rtd) No 34 A Army Estate, Kubwa, Abuja
Stanley Kingley Amandi Propagandist
Goni Bukar
Security sources confirmed that joint operations involving multiple agencies are underway to dismantle remaining cells and track fleeing suspects. The EFCC and SSS are also interrogating several civilians over alleged roles in funding, logistics, and coordination.
At least 25 military personnel are expected to face trial in connection with the plot, according to sources close to the investigation.
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