Nigerian separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu pleads not guilty to terrorism and treason

The Nigerian separatist Nnamdi Kanu has pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism and treason levelled against him by the authorities.

Kanus presence in court on Thursday was the first time he had been seen in public since he was repatriated from abroad in June.

One of his Lawyers Ifeanyi Ejiofo, say. "He took plea to the seven-count charge today, and the hearing on the application, challenging the competence, urging the court to dismiss the seven-count charge and acquit our client and discharge him is coming up on 10 November 2021, so on that day we are going to go deep into the substance of the charge."

Coupled with the terrorism and treason, the 53 year old is also facing charges of running an illegal company and publishing defamatory material, which appears to relate to comments he made about President Muhammadu Buhari.

Present at the court surrounding was a huge crowd who were there to support him.

However, Dozens of heavily armed police, and Nigerian soldiers were deployed all around the federal high court to prevent any form of violence.

Journalists were barred from entering the premises

Separatist movements in Nigeria are deemed sensitive, after a unilateral declaration of independence in 1967 in Biafra sparked a brutal 30-month civil war.

More than one million people died, most of them Igbos, from the impact of conflict, hunger and disease.