FACT CHECK: Claim that federal high court is set to revisit Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction is false

Several social media accounts have posted the claim that James Omotosho, a judge at the federal high court in Abuja, is set to “revisit” the conviction and sentence of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The viral post also claimed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) “mandated” Omotosho to review his judgment on Kanu’s case.

The purported plan to revisit the case was attributed to pressure from the United States and Israel.

The post was published on Facebook and X.

Accounts like @vdmempire and @JohnEzeakolam published the same post with the same content, apparently using a copy-and-paste scheme.

“BREAKING NEWS: Justice James Omotosho is set to revisit the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. There is an ongoing plan to re-examine the case due to pressure from Israel and the United States of America. According to reports, the International Criminal Court has mandated Justice James Omotosho to review his ruling on the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. This is a significant development. We await further updates,” the post reads.

The claim was also posted here, here, here, and here.

BACKGROUND

On November 20, 2025, Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of terrorism.

Kanu was handed life imprisonment for counts 1, 4, 5, and 6 of the seven-count charges, and 20 years and five years imprisonment on counts 3 and 7, respectively.

Omotosho, the trial judge, held that the prosecution had successfully established every allegation.

Following the judgment, Aloy Ejimakor, a legal consultant to Kanu, said the IPOB leader will appeal the judgment of the federal high court.

CableCheck searched through the website and social media accounts of the ICC to verify whether the international court commented on the conviction and sentence of Kanu. The ICC has not made any comment regarding the matter.

No credible media platform reported that the ICC called for a review of Kanu’s conviction and sentence.

There is no evidence to suggest that Omotosho is planning on revisiting the judgment he delivered on Kanu’s case in November 2025.

In line with the country’s criminal justice system, Kanu has the right to approach the appeal court and the supreme court to overturn the judgment of the federal high court.

In this case, the next tier of the court — the appeal court — is yet to deliver its judgment on the case. Hence, it is unusual for the lower court to revisit its earlier judgment.

Ejimakor, the IPOB leader’s legal counsel, told TheCable that there is no such thing as “revisiting” Kanu’s case at the federal high court.

“If there is any such thing as ‘revisiting’ Nnamdi Kanu’s case, I will be involved, either as of counsel or confidant. So, there is no such thing,” the lawyer said.