A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Paul Okechukwu, 48, to 20 years’ imprisonment for membership of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Justice Hauwa Yilwa imposed the sentence after Okechukwu pleaded guilty to the charge of belonging to the group.
The prosecution alleged that Okechukwu, from Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, belonged to IPOB in Imo State in 2021, contrary to Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013.
He pleaded not guilty to a separate charge linking him to an attack that killed two security operatives. The prosecution later withdrew the charge, which the court struck out.
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Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, led the prosecution.
A Department of State Services investigator, identified as “ABC”, testified that Okechukwu was an IPOB member and alleged his involvement in attacks on security personnel. The court admitted the investigation report as Exhibit A.
Fagbemi urged the court to impose the prescribed sentence as a deterrent. Okechukwu reportedly wept in the dock and pleaded for leniency.
Justice Yilwa ordered that he serve his term in a correctional facility designated by the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, with the sentence running from his arrest date. She also directed him to undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation after completing his term.
The judgment comes amid continued legal action against IPOB. In November 2025, the group’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was sentenced to life imprisonment on terrorism counts, with additional prison terms imposed on other counts.