The Federal High Court has rejected claims regarding an assassination attempt on Justice James Omotosho, who recently sentenced Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment.
The allegations, which originated from a blogger on social media early Saturday morning, suggested that Justice Omotosho narrowly escaped an assassination attempt shortly after delivering the harsh sentence and was taken to a hospital as security personnel worked to secure the vicinity.
In response to these claims, the Chief Registrar of the FHC, Sulaiman Hassan, released a statement on Sunday morning, November 23, titled “Rebuttal to False Publication by ‘Celebrity Blogger’ on the Alleged Assassination Attempt on Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court.”
Hassan asserted that the reports were entirely false and baseless. He stated, “We hereby firmly and unequivocally declare that the said report is completely false and unfounded. The public is advised to treat this publication as fake news and refrain from further dissemination to prevent the spread of misinformation.”
Given the serious nature of the publication, which he noted could incite panic and erode trust in the judicial system, and might be intended as a form of intimidation, Hassan urged relevant security agencies and regulatory bodies to conduct a comprehensive investigation.
He explained that the aim of the investigation is to “identify and apprehend those responsible for this false report and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly those concerning cybercrime, defamation, and public misinformation.”
The false report emerged shortly after Justice Omotosho’s significant ruling on Thursday, in which he commuted Nnamdi Kanu’s death sentence to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of seven terrorism-related charges.
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The judge sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on five terrorism counts (one, two, four, five, and six), each of which carried a potential death penalty. For the charge of belonging to a banned terrorist organization (count three), Kanu received a 20-year sentence, and for the illegal importation of a radio transmitter (count seven), he received five years.
The judge showed leniency by ordering the lesser sentences—counts three and seven—to run concurrently. Justice Omotosho indicated that while the law allowed for the death penalty for the terrorism offenses, he, as a Christian, opted to show mercy to the defendant, referencing scripture.
He ordered that the IPOB leader be held in protective custody anywhere in the country, except for the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja. The judge also prohibited Kanu from using digital devices while in custody without close supervision from the Office of the National Security Adviser, citing the defendant’s “unruly behavior.”
