In a landmark ruling that caps ten turbulent years of legal battles, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court has sentenced Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment.

The judgment, delivered on Thursday, comes four years after Kanu’s controversial arrest in Kenya and subsequent extradition to Nigeria—an episode that triggered global debates over due process and human rights.

Kanu faced a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism, and the court found him guilty on all counts.

Tension gripped the courtroom as Kanu, who had repeatedly insisted that no judgment would be delivered in the terrorism case against him, became confrontational during proceedings. His outburst prompted Justice Omotosho to order security operatives to forcibly remove him from the courtroom for what the judge described as “unruly behaviour.”

In the written judgment read in his absence, Justice Omotosho held that Kanu’s numerous broadcasts on Radio Biafra constituted acts of terrorism, stating that his messages were deliberately crafted to incite violence. The judge further ruled that the IPOB leader’s sit-at-home directives, widely enforced in parts of the South-East, amounted to terrorism as they infringed on citizens’ constitutionally guaranteed freedom of movement.

The court also stated that evidence presented during the trial showed that Kanu’s broadcasts encouraged attacks on security personnel, which the judge classified as preparatory acts of terrorism.

With the conviction now sealed, Kanu begins a life sentence after one of the most high-profile and controversial trials in Nigeria’s recent history.