The Nigerian government’s detention and repatriation of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), from Kenya has been confirmed by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Mr. Kanu’s lawsuit, in which he sought N50 billion from the federal government for allegedly repatriating him “illegally” from Kenya to Nigeria without undergoing a legitimate extradition protocol, was rejected by Justice Binta Nyako.
There was a “surviving bench warrant” for the IPOB leader’s arrest, Judge Nyako argued that his deportation to Nigeria can not be deemed to be illegal.
She said, “There is a bench warrant for the arrest of the defendant (Mr. Kanu). He is a fugitive that is wanted in court. The bench warrant survives until he is brought to court.”
The judge, on the other hand, dismissed eight of the 15 counts of treasonable felony and terrorism charges.
She found that eight of the counts against Mr. Kanu did not establish any tangible wrongdoing. The defense team’s objection to the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case was dismissed by the judge.