By Kazeem Waris
Prince Emmanuel Kanu, brother of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has marked his brother’s 58th birthday with a defiant message, describing him as an “unbreakable lion” who remains standing despite his imprisonment.
In a message posted on his verified Facebook account on Friday, Emmanuel declared that those who believed Kanu had been defeated had underestimated his resilience.
“They thought they buried you, they didn’t know you are a seed. The great masquerade,” Emmanuel wrote, describing his brother as “an unbreakable lion.”
The birthday message comes as Kanu continues his legal battle against the life sentence imposed on him by the Federal High Court in Abuja after his conviction on seven counts, including terrorism-related offences. Kanu has appealed the judgment, asking the Court of Appeal to quash his conviction and sentences.
“Happy Birthday to an unbreakable lion, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Emmanuel wrote.
“They jailed you with a dead law, yet you are still undefeated, still forcing the government to face appeal.
“They thought they buried you, they didn’t know you are a seed. The great masquerade.”
Kanu’s argument that the trial court convicted him under a repealed law is among the grounds raised in his appeal. In his February 4, 2026 notice of appeal, he argued that the trial court erred by relying on the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 despite its repeal by the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022. The argument remains a matter for determination by the appellate court.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, convicted Kanu on November 20, 2025, and imposed five life sentences, alongside additional prison terms on other counts. He was subsequently held at a correctional facility in Sokoto State.
Kanu later filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, seeking to have his conviction and sentences overturned and asking the appellate court to discharge and acquit him on all counts.
In the appeal, Kanu raised several complaints about the conduct of the trial, including arguments concerning the applicable terrorism legislation, fair hearing, earlier proceedings in the case and the failure to give him an opportunity for allocutus before sentencing.
Kanu’s 58th birthday therefore comes against the backdrop of an unresolved legal battle over his conviction and sentence.
His brother’s message focused on resilience, portraying the IPOB leader as someone who, despite his incarceration, remains a significant figure to his supporters.
The phrase “they thought they had buried you” formed the emotional centre of Emmanuel’s message, while his description of Kanu as a “seed” suggested that imprisonment had not, in his view, ended his brother’s influence.
Kanu was first arrested in Nigeria in 2015 and was later granted bail before leaving the country. He was arrested in Kenya in 2021 and brought back to Nigeria, where he subsequently faced terrorism-related charges.
His conviction and life sentence are now before the appellate court.
