Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, was apprehended in Kenya by Interpol on Sunday, June 26, 2021, and extradited to Nigeria on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, according to a press conference held in Abuja by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
In response to years of separatist agitation for an independent Republic of Biafra through IPOB, he claimed that Kanu was extradited to Nigeria to stand prosecution for allegations bordering on treasonable felony.
History of the extradition
With the primary purpose of reestablishing the state of Biafra that existed in Nigeria’s eastern area during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967–1970, Kanu, a British–Nigerian activist, launched IPOB in 2014.
On September 25, 1967, the first day of the Nigerian Civil War, Kanu was born.
He also operated Radio Biafra, a radio station registered in the United Kingdom, where he disseminated his Biafran separatist agenda.
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Kanu was jailed for more than a year after being arrested in Lagos on October 14, 2015, despite many court decisions calling for his release.
Kanu was granted bail and released from custody on April 28, 2017, due to his poor health.
But instead of complying with the bail requirements, he jumped bail and went to another country. When IPOB was later designated a terrorist organization by the defense headquarters and the court, with the support of the South-East governors at the time, he was already on the run.
He continued his activities for the establishment of the state of Biafra while he was away.
Although Kanu had argued that IPOB was only interested in a nonviolent strategy to attaining Biafran independence, the truth was not entirely consistent.
The Orlu Conflict
After the widespread #EndSARS protests, the Orlu-Orsu region of Imo State became a hotspot around December 2020. The Orlu-Orsu region was transformed into a combat zone shortly after the protests were over.
To protect residents of southeastern Nigeria from robbers and armed Fulani herders who had been terrorizing the area, Kanu declared in December 2020 that IPOB had established an armed wing, the Eastern Security Network. Later, Kanu issued a 14-day ultimatum to all the governors of South-East Nigeria to outlaw open grazing in the region or else he will send the ESN to implement the prohibition.
Following the invasion of the LGA by security forces from the Nigerian Army in an effort to smash the ESN, the tranquility that had been enjoyed by the residents of the state’s Orlu Local Government Area gave way to anxiety and stress.
In the ensuing crisis, which attracted national and worldwide attention, the ESN militants are accused of shooting and killing four soldiers and six civilians. The federal government deployed security personnel to the volatile area for many weeks after, while the state administration worked to contain the situation.
In an effort to control the situation, the state governor, Hope Uzodinma, issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew on January 25, 2021, in 10 of the 12 local council areas that make up Imo West senatorial district. At the time, many families were plunged into mourning.
In order to find the eluding ESN militants who are rumored to have attacked from a forest in Orsu LGA, a border town to Anambra State, the security agencies further mobilized additional personnel and equipment in the area, including airstrikes.
In order to assist the state administration in battling ESN members, Uzodimma acknowledged that he had invited the military, as well as the police, airforce, and other security services.
the return of
Kanu was detained in the DSS facility after being apprehended by Interpol in Kenya in June 2021. He was then immediately turned over to Nigerian authorities.
An incident that some have referred to as an abduction happened because the legal procedures were not followed, in particular the Nigerian Extradition Act, Cap. E25, Laws of the Federation 2004.
Extradition generally refers to the transportation of an accused person from one state or nation to another state or nation where the accused person will be tried. It might be outlined as the formal procedure by which one country or state asks for and receives from another country or state the surrender of a criminal suspect or convicted felon.
Rendering is the term used when extradition is necessary between subnational territories or states.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Kanu’s attorney, charged the Federal Government with terrorism on the grounds that the move blatantly violated both domestic and international law.
Since the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, had the opportunity to go through extradition proceedings before he was transported to Nigeria, questions about why Kanu had not seen the same treatment began to surface.
Since Kanu flew to Kenya with a British passport rather than a Nigerian passport, questions about why he was not extradited to the UK instead of Nigeria persist. It’s vital to remember that Kanu has been suing the Kenyan government for extradition to Nigeria since he renounced his Nigerian citizenship in 2015.
The Launch
After a number of court appearances following Kanu’s rearrest, the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, on Thursday, October 13, 2022, declared the rendition illegal and dismissed all allegations of terrorism brought against him by the Federal Government.
Justice Oludotun Adebola upheld the IPOB leader’s appeal, released and acquitted him, and added that his kidnapping was illegal.
Malami, the AGF, had claimed that Kanu was just released from his sentence and not cleared.
In his words, there were still “legitimate questions for judicial judgment” regarding other matters that existed before Kanu’s rendition and “on the basis of which Kanu jumped bail.”
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However, Kanu’s release has been met with a variety of reactions, largely jubilations, particularly from those in the southeast of the country. As a result of Kanu’s arrest, they had been subjected to weekly sit-at-home orders from IPOB, and they were happy that his release may put a stop to the orders and return the area to normalcy.
Others have questioned whether the FG will uphold the court’s ruling in light of the government’s history of disobeying court decisions. If the FG determines it will not honor the judgment, they are concerned about IPOB’s reaction.
Nnamdi Kanu is currently, nevertheless, a free man.
