A High Court in Nairobi, Kenya, has ruled that the abduction and detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, in Kenya and his subsequent rendition to Nigeria in June 2021 were unlawful and illegal.
The court awarded Kanu 10 million Kenyan shillings (approximately ₦120 million) in damages against the Kenyan government for its role in the unlawful abduction and rendition.
Justice E.C. Mwita held that the actions of both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments amounted to gross violations of Kanu’s fundamental human rights as protected by their respective constitutions.
The court declared that Kanu’s abduction, detention, and rendition were in violation of the laws of Kenya and his rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of movement and security of the person guaranteed by the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
The IPOB has hailed the judgment as a landmark victory, saying it vindicates the group’s long-standing position on Kanu’s sham trial in Nigeria.
In a statement, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful said the judgment exposes the criminal lobbying missions embarked upon by Nigerian leaders to manipulate Kenya’s judiciary and cover up the internationally condemned act of extraordinary rendition.
The group’s leader was abducted in broad daylight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by agents of Nigeria’s secret police in collusion with rogue elements of the Kenyan security apparatus.
He was chained, tortured, denied medication, and eventually bundled onto a private jet and flown illegally to Abuja without any extradition hearing or judicial warrant.
This verdict places a permanent and indelible legal stain on the records of former presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and their accomplices.
The IPOB has vowed to pursue all those responsible for the abduction and rendition to the ends of the earth under the universal principle of accountability for crimes against humanity.
