Report: Kenya not aware of Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest, extradition

July 2, 2021 10:34 am

The Kenya government has denied the claim that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested and extradited from the country to Nigeria.

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

He did not, however, state where Kanu was arrested.

But on Wednesday, Kingsley Kanu, brother of the separatist leader, alleged that his brother was arrested in Kenya.

“Whilst visiting Kenya, Nnamdi Kanu was detained and handed over to the Nigerian authorities who then flew him to Nigeria,” he said.

“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.”

However, Alexander Muteshi, Kenya director-general of Immigration Services, dismissed the claim on Thursday.

According to Nation, a Kenya news outlet, Muteshi said he cannot tell if Kanu was arrested in Kenya.

Muteshi said he can only confirm an arrest and extradition if the person entered the country legally.

“I can’t know that,” Nation quoted Muteshi to have said.

“I am not in the picture of his presence in the country. I am only able to tell if somebody entered the country legally,” he added.

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

He was granted bail in April 2017 but fled the country 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.

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