IPOB Hails Kenyan Court Ruling Declaring Kanu’s Abduction Illegal

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has welcomed a judgment delivered by the High Court of Kenya on June 24, 2025, which ruled that the abduction and forcible transfer of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021 was illegal and unconstitutional.

First News reports that Justice E.C. Mwita condemned both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments for gross violations of Kanu’s fundamental human rights.

The court also awarded Kanu KSh10 million (₦119,459,224) in damages.

According to Justice Mwita, “The government of Kenya violated the Constitution and Mr. Nnamdi Kanu’s rights and fundamental freedoms.

“Having entered Kenya lawfully, he was subject to the protection offered by the Constitution of Kenya 2010.

“However, he was abducted, kept in solitary confinement, tortured, and forcibly removed from Kenya without following the law.”

The judge said Kanu’s detention without access to legal or medical support, as well as his eventual transfer to Nigeria, amounted to a violation of both Kenyan law and international standards.

Reacting to the development, IPOB in a statement on Friday, June 27, described the judgment as a “resounding judicial earthquake.”

The statement, signed by the group’s spokesperson Emma Powerful, claimed the ruling vindicated IPOB’s position that Kanu’s transfer to Nigeria was not a lawful extradition, but an act of “extraordinary rendition.”

“He was abducted in broad daylight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, chained, tortured, and flown illegally to Abuja without any extradition hearing or judicial warrant,” IPOB said.

The group further described the incident as a “criminal act of state-sponsored international terrorism” allegedly carried out in collusion between the security agencies of both countries.

IPOB also commended Professor PLO Lumumba, who led the legal team in Kenya, and Justice Mwita for what it called “courage, clarity, and tenacity” in delivering justice.

“This verdict places a permanent legal stain on the records of former presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, as well as their accomplices,” the group stated.

The statement concluded with a pledge to launch a global campaign to ensure all those involved are held to account.

“All those responsible, in Kenya, Nigeria, or elsewhere, shall be pursued to the ends of the earth under the universal principle of accountability for crimes against humanity,” IPOB declared.