Nigeria, April 16 -- Julius Malema, a fiery South African opposition politician, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Malema was sentenced on Thursday after he was found guilty of illegal possession of firearms and firing a firearm in public.

He was first convicted last year of five offences, including the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, discharging it in a public space and reckless endangerment, the BBC reports.

"The charges related to an incident in 2018 when a video emerged showing Malema using a semi-automatic rifle to fire several shots in the air during his party's fifth anniversary celebrations held in the country's Eastern Cape province," the BBC reports.

Mr Malema is the l...