Counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has said his client’s appeal against his terrorism conviction is progressing in line with legal procedures, urging the public to disregard rumours surrounding the case.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement issued on Wednesday, Aloy Ejimakor said the notice of appeal, filed in February 2026, has already set the legal process in motion and will proceed through established stages until a final decision is reached.
He stressed that the appeal process differs from proceedings at the Federal High Court and should not be judged by the same expectations.
According to Ejimakor, the first stage — the compilation and transmission of the Record of Appeal — has been completed. This process involves assembling all relevant documents from the trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja, including the charge sheet, court proceedings, exhibits, rulings, judgment, and sentence.
“Parties (MNK’s lawyers and the prosecution) are usually invited to ‘settle’ the Record (agree on what documents go in). For ‘terrorism-related’ cases, the Practice Direction fast-tracks this. So, the Registrar has a short window to finalise and transmit the Record to the Court of Appeal Registry. This has been done,” he said.
The next phase, he explained, is the filing of briefs of argument. Kanu’s legal team is required to submit its appellant’s brief — outlining arguments across 22 grounds of appeal — within 45 days of receiving the record.
“Next is filing of Briefs of Argument (once the Record is received), whereby Appellant’s Brief (MNK’s side) must file the Brief (usually voluminous – tens of pages) within 45 days of receiving the Record. This is the written argument setting out the legal arguments on the 22 grounds of appeal and why the conviction should be quashed,” Ejimakor said.
He added that the Federal Government, as respondent, will then file its response within 30 days, after which Kanu’s lawyers may submit a reply brief within 14 days if necessary.
Ejimakor noted that these written submissions form the core of the appeal, with oral arguments at the hearing stage serving only to clarify the issues raised.
Once all briefs are filed, the Court of Appeal will fix a hearing date, during which a three-member panel of justices will consider arguments from both sides. He emphasised that no fresh evidence or oral testimony will be admitted at this stage.
“To be clear, no oral testimony or evidence (such as was done in the High Court) will be allowed. After the hearing, the Court reserves a date for judgment (usually for a few weeks, sometimes months, but not exceeding 90 days),” he said.
Ejimakor explained that the court may either allow the appeal and quash the conviction, dismiss the appeal and uphold the sentence, or order a retrial.
He added that while the entire process may take several months, terrorism-related appeals are typically fast-tracked under existing practice directions.
“Interim applications can be brought at any time (e.g., bail pending appeal, amendment of grounds, or accelerated hearing).
“It is noteworthy that the appeal is already ‘live’ – the filing of the Notice in February 2026 started the clock. The next visible milestone is the transmission of the Record of Appeal (which has been done), followed by the exchange of Briefs, which is in process.
“People should therefore focus on these clear, sequential stages rather than daily rumours or believing that the appeal process will follow the same pattern and procedure seen in the High Court before Justice Omotosho.
“This is the standard, transparent roadmap laid down by Nigerian law, and MNK’s appeal cannot be any different. So, the appeal is progressing exactly as the rules require – one procedural step at a time,” he said.
