Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has accused the Nigerian federal government of deliberately prolonging his detention through legal manipulations.
Kanu referenced a landmark ruling on March 1, 2017, where the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that IPOB was not an unlawful organization. However, instead of appealing the judgment, he alleged that then-Attorney General Abubakar Malami and the late Abba Kyari secretly classified IPOB as a terrorist group through an ex parte ruling.
He described this move as a fraudulent alliance between the government and the judiciary, designed to deny him justice and endanger millions of IPOB supporters.
Furthermore, on October 26, 2022, the Federal High Court ruled that Kanu’s extraordinary rendition from Kenya and his continued detention were unconstitutional. The court ordered the federal government to issue an apology and pay him compensation.
“In a responsible society, this judgment should have led to my immediate release and meaningful engagement on the self-determination issue that triggered this saga,” Kanu said.
Similarly, on October 13, 2022, the Court of Appeal condemned the Nigerian government’s “executive lawlessness,” ruling that Kanu’s abduction and extradition violated both domestic and international laws, stripping Nigerian courts of the power to prosecute him. However, the federal government allegedly collaborated with other justices to overturn this decision through a “stay of execution.”
On December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court sent Kanu’s case back to the Federal High Court for trial, also ruling that his bail revocation was unjustified due to judicial bias. Despite this, Kanu remains in detention.
He insists that he will not submit to trial under a compromised judiciary and vowed to fight for his right to a fair hearing, even if it means remaining in detention indefinitely.
