A Nigerian court on Thursday jailed Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu for life for "terrorism", ending a decade-old legal saga in which the prosecution sought the death penalty.

Kanu, leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, has long advocated for the independence of southeastern Nigeria, alleging the mistreatment of the Igbo ethnic group.

"The death penalty is now being frowned upon by the international community. Consequently in the interests of justice, I hereby sentence the convict to to life imprisonment... instead of (the) death sentence. Life is sacred," Judge James Omotosho ruled.

Calls for Biafran independence date back many years.

Civil war raged in Nigeria from 1967 until 1970 between the government and the so-called Republic of Biafra, which had de

See Full Page