The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a strong call for the Nigerian government to immediately terminate all legal proceedings against its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, following a landmark ruling by the High Court of Kenya that declared his 2021 rendition from Nairobi to Abuja illegal, unconstitutional, and a gross violation of international law.
In a statement released by IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful, the group hailed the June 24 judgment by Justice E.C. Mwita of the Nairobi High Court as a “judicial earthquake” that vindicates its long-standing position that Kanu’s transfer was not an extradition, but an act of extraordinary rendition involving “state-sponsored international terrorism.”
The Kenyan court found that Kanu, a British citizen, was abducted, detained incommunicado, tortured, and forcibly flown to Nigeria without due process. The court awarded him 10 million Kenyan shillings (approximately ₦120 million) in damages and held the Kenyan government liable for violating his fundamental rights.
“This ruling is not just a legal victory—it is a moral reckoning,” said Powerful. “The Nigerian government must now acknowledge that it has no legal or moral basis to continue the sham trial of a man who was kidnapped and brought into the country through illegal means.”
IPOB emphasized that the charges against Kanu—primarily related to terrorism and treason—have been repeatedly discredited in court. The group also criticized the Nigerian judiciary for what it described as “forum shopping” and “judicial persecution” aimed at silencing a peaceful advocate for self-determination.
The group called on the international community, including the United Nations and the African Union, to intervene and pressure the Nigerian government to comply with international legal standards.
“We are not asking for favors. We are demanding justice,” the statement concluded. “The world must not look away while a man is punished for demanding freedom through peaceful means.”