The Federal High Court has dismissed claims that Justice James Omotosho survived an assassination attempt following the life sentence handed to Nnamdi Kanu, calling the reports “false and unfounded.”
The controversy began after a blogger posted on Facebook that Justice Omotosho was attacked on Saturday morning, just days after sentencing Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, to life imprisonment. The post claimed the judge was rushed to a hospital while security operatives secured the scene.
Reacting to the report, FHC Chief Registrar Sulaiman Hassan issued a statement urging the public to disregard the story. Titled “Rebuttal to False Publication by ‘Celebrity Blogger’ on the Alleged Assassination Attempt on Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court,” the statement emphasized that the publication was entirely fabricated. Hassan also called on security agencies to investigate the source and prosecute those responsible under laws covering cybercrime, defamation, and public misinformation.
Justice Omotosho had, on Thursday, commuted Kanu’s death sentence to life imprisonment after he was convicted on seven counts of terrorism. Life sentences were handed for counts one, two, four, five, and six; 20 years imprisonment without a fine for count three, relating to membership in a proscribed terrorist group; and five years without a fine for count seven, which involved the unlawful importation of a radio transmitter for Radio Biafra. Counts three and seven will run concurrently.
The judge explained that, although the law permitted the death penalty, he chose mercy, citing his Christian faith. He also considered a plea on Kanu’s behalf from Rep. Obi Aguocha.
Kanu will remain in protective custody outside Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, with restrictions on digital device usage unless closely monitored by the Office of the National Security Adviser. The judge ordered the radio transmitter forfeited to the Federal Government and stated that other exhibits could also be claimed by the government after 90 days post-appeal.
Justice Omotosho described Kanu’s conduct during the trial as “unruly” and said the defendant showed no remorse, noting, “I have no hesitation to conclude that the defendant has a tendency of violence and it has not left him.”
