The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has today Okayed the repatriation of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya by the Nigerian Government. Nnamdi Kanu had last month filed a suit of N50billion before the high court alleging that the process followed by the Nigerian Government to bring him into the country violates the international standard of extradition. Justice Binta Nyako dismissed Kanu's claim in his suit, saying what the government did was the right thing because there was ‘a surviving bench warrant” for the IPOB leader's arrest and that is what the government did to parade him for jumping bail.
The Judge, in March 2019, ordered the IPOB leader's arrest for jumping bail bringing his trial on charges of a treasonable felony to a standstill.
Justice Nyajo 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,”
In her ruling, the Judge on preliminary objection challenging the 15 amended charges on terrorism and treasonable felony filed against him, Justice Nyako struck out eight of the charges out of the 15 count charges bordering on the treasonable felony and terrorism.
She ruled that eight of the charges had not established any tangible offense against Mr. Kanu.
The judge dismissed the defense team’s objection over the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
Mr Kanu's arrest was ordered in March 2019 after the IPOB leader jumped bail.
The arrest orders come after Kanu had fled the country when the military invaded his home in Afara-ukwu near Umuahia the capital of Abia state.
His disappearance stalled his trial which was undergoing with his defendant. With the development, the judge, on March 28, 2018, severed Mr. Kanu’s trial from that of other co-defendants to stop further delay in the others’ cases.
Without any public hint of the government trailing Mr. Kanu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, surprisingly announced in June 2021, that the secessionist had been “intercepted” and brought back to Nigeria.
While Mr. Malami kept silent on where Mr. Kanu was arrested and the circumstances that lead to his repatriation, the IPOB leader’s family members and lawyers accused the government saying what the government did was abduction from Kenya.
Kanu charges have subsequently amended the charges to include terrorism raining the number of the charges to 15.
