By Correspondent in Abuja.
The Federal High Court (FHC) has dismissed as fake news a social media report claiming that Justice James Omotosho survived an assassination attempt following his sentencing of Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment.
Our Correspondent recalled that a blogger had alleged on Facebook that armed attackers targeted the judge early Saturday morning, prompting an emergency security response and his rushed admission to a hospital.
However, in a statement issued on Sunday, the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Sulaiman Hassan, refuted the claim, describing it as entirely false.
The statement, titled “Rebuttal to False Publication by ‘Celebrity Blogger’ on the Alleged Assassination Attempt on Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court,” firmly rejected the report.
It reads in part:
“The attention of the Federal High Court has been drawn to a publication by CELEBRITY BLOGGER alleging that Honourable Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, survived an assassination attempt following the life sentence imposed on Nnamdi Kanu. We hereby firmly and unequivocally declare that the said report is completely false and unfounded.”
The court urged the public to disregard the story and avoid further circulation to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Hassan also called on security agencies and regulatory authorities to investigate the source of the false report and ensure those responsible are apprehended and prosecuted under laws relating to cybercrime, defamation, and public misinformation.
He warned that such a publication, capable of causing public panic and undermining confidence in the judiciary, may have been deliberately crafted to intimidate the court.
Justice Omotosho on Thursday commuted the death sentence earlier imposed on Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to life imprisonment after convicting him on seven terrorism-related charges.
The judge imposed life sentences on counts one, two, four, five, and six,each of which carried the death penalty.
He also sentenced Kanu to 20 years’ imprisonment on count three, which relates to membership of a proscribed terrorist group, and five years without an option of fine on count seven, involving unlawful importation of a radio transmitter for Radio Biafra.
He ruled that the sentences in counts three and seven would run concurrently, noting that although the law permitted the death penalty, he opted for leniency, citing his Christian faith and referencing Matthew 23:23.
Justice Omotosho further considered a plea for mercy made by Rep. Obi Aguocha of Abia State, and ordered that Kanu be held in protective custody outside Kuje Correctional Centre.
He also ordered that Kanu be barred from using digital devices except under close supervision by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The court directed that the radio transmitter be forfeited to the Federal Government, while other seized items may be subjected to forfeiture proceedings by the Department of State Services (DSS) after the 90-day appeal window.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
