British High Commission ‘in talks’ with FG over Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest

The British High Commission says it is “in the process of seeking clarification” from the federal government regarding the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Dean Hurlock, a spokesperson of the British High Commission, disclosed this in a message sent to TheCable on Wednesday.

Kanu, who is also a British citizen, was arrested on Sunday and extradited to Nigeria to face trial for alleged treason.

Abubakar Malami, the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), said on Tuesday that the IPOB leader was “intercepted through the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and Security Services.”

He did not state where the separatist leader was arrested, but TheCable learnt that Kanu, who is based in the UK, was lured to an African country with a promise of cash donations and was then picked up.

Security sources informed TheCable that he was tracked through some members of IPOB who were recently arrested following a massive military operation in the south-east.

In the message shared with TheCable, Hurlock said the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office “stands ready to provide consular assistance” regarding the matter.

“The British High Commission in Abuja is currently in the process of seeking clarification from the Nigerian government about the circumstances of the arrest,” he said.

He added that the UK “would expect any trial or legal proceedings to follow due process” as Kanu’s prosecution resumes.

Kanu was first arrested on October 14, 2015, following years of his campaign for the sovereign state of Biafra.

He was granted bail in April 2017 but fled Nigeria later that year after soldiers invaded his residence in Abia state during a military clampdown on IPOB members.

For almost four years after he fled the country, the separatist leader piloted the affairs of IPOB from abroad.

He was mostly in the UK from where he runs Radio Biafra, the group’s radio station with which he often engages in fierce monologues preaching his separatist cause.

Following his re-arrest, the federal government took him to the federal high court in Abuja Tuesday where a judge granted the Department of State Services (DSS) order to remand him in their custody until July 26 when his trial will continue.

IPOB earlier said in a statement shared with TheCable said Kanu’s arrest is “not the end of the road” in the groups’ quest for Biafra.

“IPOB will not relent in the pursuit of Biafra freedom. We have crossed the Rubicon in our struggle for the restoration of Biafran Sovereignty. There is no going back no matter the level of intimidation by our oppressors,” Emma Powerful, the group’s spokesperson, had said.