(MENAFN) A Nigerian court has handed a life imprisonment sentence to Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu after convicting him on terrorism-related offenses in a prolonged legal battle that spanned ten years.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered the ruling on Thursday, finding the 58-year-old leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) guilty on seven counts of terrorism.

While prosecutors had requested the death sentence, the judge opted for life imprisonment, noting that capital punishment is now “frowned upon.”

The court determined that Kanu exploited IPOB and his Radio Biafra broadcasts to provoke assaults on law enforcement officers and civilians in Nigeria’s southeastern region.

Additionally, he was accused of orchestrating unlawful “sit-at-home” orders that disrupted economic activities and urged followers to arm themselves.

Kanu, a dual Nigerian and British citizen, rejected the legitimacy of the trial, claiming that the terrorism statute applied to him had been repealed.

Last month, he dismissed his legal team and decided to act as his own attorney.

During Thursday’s session, Kanu was temporarily removed from the courtroom for “unruly” conduct after he challenged the judge to provide the legal justification for the charges, as reported by local media outlets.

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