Abuja, Nigeria – Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed an appeal against his conviction and life sentence handed down by the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20, 2025. The appeal, described as the “mother of all appeals,” was filed today, February 4, 2026, at the Court of Appeal
Kanu’s appeal is based on 22 grounds, including allegations that his preliminary objections and pending bail application were ignored, and that he was convicted despite a prior Court of Appeal ruling declaring earlier proceedings a nullity. He also claims the trial judge erred in law by failing to resolve procedural and competence consequences of the disrupted 2017 trial.
The IPOB leader is seeking to overturn his conviction and sentences, and has urged the appellate court to quash, reverse, and set aside the punishment handed down by the trial court. He also seeks an order discharging and acquitting him in respect of all charges
Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, had earlier expressed confidence that the appellate court would overturn the conviction, stating that the sentencing was a “travesty of justice”
The appeal is the latest development in Kanu’s decade-long legal battle, which has seen multiple appeals and interventions by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court
