Nigerian court drops charges against separatist Ipob leader
Nigeria’s Appeal Court has dropped all charges against separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu after ruling that he had been illegally arrested abroad.
The court also ruled that his extradition was illegal.
The ruling by a panel of three judges is seen as a major blow to the government which had detained Kanu on various treason and terrorism-related charges.
But the government says it will explore other legal options.
“Kanu was only discharged and not acquitted,” said a spokesperson for Attorney General Abubakar Malami, so it appears unlikely he will be freed imminently.
The Attorney General’s office added that the court’s decision was only based on the extradition of Kanu, and did not apply to those charges that predate it which “remain valid issues for judicial determination”.
The leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) group was originally arrested in 2015 but he fled Nigeria in 2017 while out on bail.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
Ipob is campaigning for the creation of an independent state in south-eastern Nigeria.
Kanu – who holds a UK passport – was seized and sent back home in 2021.
The court ruled that his 2021 arrest abroad was illegal because extradition protocol was not followed.
His lawyers say he was detained in Kenya, which has not commented on whether it played a role in Kanu’s deportation to Nigeria.
The Appeal Court also ruled the Federal High Court did not have the jurisdiction to try Kanu.
He initially faced 15 charges, but eight had previously been dropped.
Ipob wants a group of states in the south-east of the country, largely inhabited by members of the Igbo ethnic group, to break away from Nigeria and form an independent nation called Biafra.
Agencies