Kanu: one judgment, 2 reactions
●Justice served – FG
●We are going on appeal – Defence consultant
Nnamdi Kanu’s terrorism trial legal consultant, Aloy Ejimakor, has faulted yesterday’s conviction of the leader of the banned Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) on all charges relating to terrorism.
A federal high court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice James Omotosho, yesterda, sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment having found him guilty on counts one, four, five and six of the seven-count charge all bordering on acts of terrorism.
But Ejimakor saw the judgment differently, saying while speaking to journalists after the judgment, “what kind of precedent is being set here? We are heading to the court of appeal. 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.”
However, for the prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, justice had been served by the conviction of the IPOB leader, even though he had urged the court to hand down a death sentence on Kanu, according to him, as provided for in the law.
“My Lord, consequent upon the conviction, nothing further remains but the lawful imposition of sentence. The punishment prescribed for the offences in Counts One, Two, Four, Five and Six, pursuant to Section 12H of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013, is death,” Awomolo submitted.
“With all sense of humility,” he continued, “I say as a prosecutor that this court has no discretion in that regard. The only sentence Your Lordship can impose for Counts One, Two, Four, Five and Six is death, because the law empowers you to do so, and we expect that you will.”
In sentencing Kanu, Justice Omotosho ignored Awomolo’s push, saying that he was merely extending mercy to the convict, otherwise he would have sentenced him to death.
He said that the death sentence was being criticised globally and that was part of what informed his decision.
“This court is only being merciful to him as enjoined by our Lord Jesus Christ. The court is minded to sentence the convict to death due to the atrocity committed. The convict has not shown any remorse whatsoever for his actions,” Omotosho declared.
He went on, “he remained arrogant, cocky, and full of himself without realising the magnitude of his crime and the effect of what he has done against the people in the South east,” according to TheCable.
“I hereby sentence the convict to life imprisonment for counts one, four, five, and six, instead of death sentence.
“With respect to Count Three, he is hereby sentenced to 20 years imprisonment without no option of fine.
“For Count Seven, he is sentenced to five years imprisonment without no option of fine. To extend the mercy, I hereby order that the sentence shall run concurrently.”
The trial which traversed several courts and involved different lawyers, especially on the defence side, lasted for about a decade.
