The Federal High Court has dismissed as “completely false” a viral report claiming that Justice James Omotosho survived an assassination attempt days after sentencing the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment.
The claim, published by a Facebook blogger on Saturday, alleged that the Abuja-based judge was attacked and rushed to hospital while security forces scrambled to secure the scene. The report quickly circulated online, prompting concern about the safety of judicial officers involved in politically sensitive cases.
But in a statement released on Sunday, the court’s Chief Registrar, Sulaiman Hassan, said the entire story was fabricated.
“The attention of the Federal High Court has been drawn to a publication… alleging that the Honourable Justice James Omotosho… survived an assassination attempt,” the statement read. “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.”
Hassan urged security and regulatory agencies to open a formal investigation into what he described as a dangerous act of misinformation designed to incite panic and possibly intimidate the judiciary.
“Given the gravity of the report, which has the potential to cause panic and undermine confidence in the judicial system… we call on relevant agencies to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and prosecute them under cybercrime, defamation and public-misinformation laws,” he said.
Justice Omotosho had on Thursday sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment after convicting him on five terrorism-related counts that each carried the death penalty. He also handed down additional terms of 20 years and five years on two other counts, to run concurrently.
The judge noted that while the law permitted a death sentence, he opted for leniency “as a Christian,” citing Matthew 23:23 and referencing an allocution by Rep Obi Aguocha on behalf of the defendant. He ordered that Kanu be held in protective custody outside Kuje prison and barred from using digital devices except under strict monitoring by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Kanu, whom the judge described as exhibiting “unruly behaviours” throughout the trial, was also ordered to forfeit a radio transmitter linked to Radio Biafra, while other seized items may be subject to forfeiture applications after the appeal window closes.
