Details may be emerging on the circumstances surrounding the arrest and extradition back to Nigeria of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), with his brother, Kingsley, saying the IPOB leader was arrested in Kenya by the Kenyan authorities and handed over to Nigeria.
The Nigerian Federal Government has been silent on the location where Kanu was arrested.
There are still no indication on the mission of Kanu in Kenya and whether he travelled alone in on an undercover mission on behalf of IPOB and was given away or he was on a private visit.
It is also not clear why he would travel and be abducted for that long without any of his close lieutenants knowing or whether he was a lone ranger on the trip.
Stating that the IPOB leader was “unlawfully arrested in Kenya, detained and has subsequently been the subject of extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria where he is now detained,” Kingsley Kanu said in a statement: “My brother Nnamdi Kanu demands the right to self-determination for Biafra. Self-determination is the right to that underpins the United Nations. Because Biafrans support Nnamdi Kanu’s call for Biafran self-determination, my brother has now been subjected to the most serious violations of international law.
“Whilst visiting Kenya, Nnamdi Kanu was detained and handed over to the Nigerian authorities who then flew him to Nigeria. My brother has been subject to extraordinary rendition by Kenya and Nigeria. They have violated the most basic principles of the rule of law. Extraordinary rendition is one of the most serious crimes states can commit. Both Nigeria and Kenya must be held to account. I demand justice for my brother, Nnamdi Kanu.”
“Nnamdi Kanu holds both British and Nigerian citizenship. Nnamdi Kanu is Biafran, not Nigerian. He has rejected his Nigerian citizenship. The British High Commission in Nigeria must insist upon my brother’s immediate release.
“They must guarantee his safety and security. Nnamdi Kanu must be returned home to the UK to his wife and his sons who live here. The Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, must make clear to the Nigerian authorities that they will not tolerate the unlawful detention of British citizens and that the UK Government condemns the Nigerians and Kenyans for undermining the rule of law. Foreign Secretary Raab must be clear. There will be consequences for those who resort to extraordinary rendition. The British Government must insist upon justice for Nnamdi Kanu.”
