A heavy confusion is raging over the continued detention and trial of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, over the position of the detainee and his special counsel.

While the IPOB leader has urged the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, to investigate and prosecute all those involved in his torture in Kenya and Nigeria, in line with the provisions of the Anti-Torture Act of 2017, his special counsel and another top shot of the secessionist group, Aloy Ejimakor, yesterday said there had been no extradition, expulsion or deportation proceedings against Kanu anywhere in Kenya.

According to Ejimakor, Kanu’s official record (still) shows he is in the East African nation of Kenya, where he was picked up by security agents before extradition home to Nigeria.

Ejimakor said this is the true position of things following the public denial by the Kenyan government of its involvement in the abduction of his client in their country.

According to Ejimakor, there were no extradition, expulsion or deportation proceedings against Kanu anywhere in Kenya.

He further stated that the Kenya government asserts that its official records show that Kanu is still in Kenya.

Ejimakor made this claim in a letter addressed to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The counsel to the IPOB leader added that Kanu has life-threatening health conditions, which had been aggravated by the mental and physical torture he was subjected to.
The letter reads, “the Government of Kenya (GOK) has publicly denied complicity and involvement in the said abduction, disappearance, torture and extraordinary rendition of our Client and asserted in judicial proceedings that there were no extradition, expulsion or deportation proceedings against our Client anywhere in Kenya. In particular, GOK asserts that its official records indicate that our client is still in Kenya.”
According to the counsel to the IPOB leader, “Our client has life-threatening serious health conditions, namely: heart disease and hypertension, which have been dangerously aggravated by the mental and physical torture he was subjected to.

“It is our considered position that the totality of what happened to our client, as enunciated above, unarguably met the definition of torture under Section 2 of the Anti-Torture Act, 2017, which also states at Section 9(1) that “A person who contravenes Section 2 of this Act commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 25 years.”

Ejimakor called on Malami to prosecute everyone directly or indirectly involved in the torture of Kanu, irrespective of the severity of his offence levelled against him.

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But making his call for the investigation and prosecution of all those involved in his torture, Kanu has now made five demands.

Kanu was arrested in an African country believed to be Kenya and repatriated in June 2021.

This was due to his agitation for the restoration of Biafra. He fled Nigeria in 2017 after Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court granted him bail.

However, the IPOB leader disclosed that he was tortured and subjected to inhumane treatment after his arrest in Kenya.

To this end, the IPOB leader urged Malami to investigate and prosecute all those involved in his torture, in line with the provisions of the Anti-Torture Act of 2017.

In a letter to Malami, Kanu said all those who tortured him during his arrest in Kenya and detention in Nigeria should be punished.

Kanu also urged the AGF to ensure his protection while in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

In another development, the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) yesterday raised the alarm, claiming that IPOB and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) have been hijacked by criminals in the South-East.

A release made available by its national president, Igboayaka O. Igboayaka in Owerri, Imo State, alleged that both groups, which were once peaceful organisations founded to protect farmers, are now heavily laced with criminalities.

The group regretted that some ‘faceless beings’ had sworn to smear Kanu’s reputation, “hence they have disguised themselves as IPOB and ESN members, thus impeding efforts made towards his release.”