The leader of the proscribed indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has lost an appeal in a legal battle that he took against the United Kingdom, UK, government following his continued incarceration by the Nigerian authority. The separatist leader is a holder of a dual citizenship, meaning he is a Nigerian native and a UK citizen by naturalization. Kanu had last year approached the court of the UK demanding that being a citizen; the UK government should intervene into his matter through the UK embassy in Nigeria to facilitate his release by the Nigerian authority.
Though the court case is one of his travail with the UK authority which started with exchange of letters concerning his continued detention in Nigeria which has ended up in a tragedy seemingly the UK authority found him as inconsequential.
In Kanu’s imagination as a British citizen, he has a complete right to be protected by the UK government in whatever kind of travail he found himself.
This lead him to approach court in the UK demanding a court order that will compel the UK consular in Nigeria to push for his release through the Nigerian government, also demanding that the UK government should take a stand on his case through condemning the Nigerian action against him.
The IPOB leader approached a High court in London last year where he sued the secretary of state, Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development office, FCDO, as the representative of the UK government.
The London High Court dismissed Kanu’s case on 23rd March.
He approached the Appeal court at the civil Division of the court of Appeal, Royal Court of Justice on the same matter challenging the High Court Decision.
The Appeal Court affirmed the High Court decision against Kanu on 7th July, ruling that the UK cannot interfere in his travail with the Nigerian government.
The court also held that it could not force the Foreign Secretary sued by Mr Kanu as the representative of the UK government to “reach a firm view” on the matter while the Nigerian government’s case against him was still at Nigeria’s Supreme Court.
“I consider, therefore, that it is not irrational for the Foreign Secretary to refrain from reaching a firm view while the matter is still properly before the Nigerian courts,” the court ruled.
The court also noted that there was no breach committed by the UK Foreign Secretary by refusing to make a public statement concerning Kanu.
The Judgement part reads; “Here the Respondent has given information about the steps which have been taken on Mr Kanu’s behalf; and has explained why he is unwilling to make public statements. The real complaint in this case is substantive (refusal to reach a firm view) rather than procedural.”
The IPOB leader has been on the run from Nigeria since 2015, the fallout of his run-in with the Nigerian government over his separatist campaigns and effrontery against the constituted authority.
Kanu and his IPOB, were designated as terrorist organisation in Nigeria, for seeking the secession of an independent Biafra nation comprising the five Igbo-dominated South-east states from Nigeria.
He was arrested in September 2015 and subsequently charged with treasonable felony for allegedly attempting to take up arms against the Nigerian state.
The Federal High Court in Abuja granted him bail in 2017, where he subsequently jumped the bail that lead the Nigerian government to re-arrested him in collaboration with Kenyan authority in June 2021.
