A court in Nigeria has found separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu guilty of terrorism following a decade-long legal case full of drama.
The court said it was satisfied that Kanu had made a series of broadcasts to incite violence and killings, as part of his campaign for a separate state in south-east Nigeria, known as Biafra.
Kanu has been convicted on all seven charges he faced, as well as terrorism. These charges included treason and involvement with an outlawed movement.
The court has adjourned, with the judge expected to hand down a sentence later on Thursday. The prosecution has called for the death penalty, although this is rarely carried out in Nigeria.
Kanu always denied the charges and challenged the court's jurisdiction over him. At the start of the trial, he sacked his lawyers but refused to defend himself.
Security around the court in the capital, Abuja, was tightened ahead of the verdict in case of protests by Kanu's supporters.
Once a relatively obscure figure, he rose to prominence in Nigeria in 2009 when he began Radio Biafra, advocating for an independent state for the Igbo people.
Kanu set up the Indigenous People Of Biafra (Ipob) in 2014, a movement calling for independence that was banned in 2017. Its armed wing – the Eastern Security Network – has been linked to violence in recent years.
Judge James Omotosho remarked during his judgment that Kanu knew what he was doing and was bent on carrying out threats without regard for his own people, citing clear evidence of preparatory acts of terrorism.
Kanu, while somewhat popular in southeastern Nigeria, reportedly faced a muted reaction to the verdict among his supporters. He had been removed from the courtroom for unruly behaviour shortly before the ruling.
His legal troubles began with his arrest in October 2015; after jumping bail in 2017, he fled the country following a military raid on his residence. The government later announced his re-arrest by Kenyan authorities in 2021, which remains a contentious issue.
In 2022, an appeal court ordered the charges dropped, citing illegal arrest, but this decision was overturned by the Supreme Court the following year.
The calls for Biafran independence have historical roots dating back to the secessionist rebellion in 1967, which led to a devastating civil war resulting in significant loss of life. Many in the Igbo community still feel marginalized by the Nigerian state, although support for independence remains ambiguous.
