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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.

Published on the Biafra post 
October 23, 2025 

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, has dismissed his entire team of Senior Advocates, forcing the Federal High Court to adjourn proceedings until Friday, October 24.

When the case was called, lead counsel Kanu Agabi, SAN, stunned the courtroom by announcing his withdrawal, along with other prominent Senior Advocates including Onyechi Ikpeazu, Joseph Akubo, Paul Erokoro, and Emeka Etiaba. Agabi explained that the decision followed Kanu’s insistence on taking back control of his case.

Justice James Omotosho then turned directly to the defendant for confirmation. 
From the dock, Kanu declared that he had indeed dismissed his lawyers and was prepared to represent himself. 

Asked if he wished the court to assign him new counsel, he firmly declined.

The judge ordered the remaining members of the defence team to vacate the courtroom and invited Kanu to open his defence. Instead, Kanu began by challenging the court’s jurisdiction to continue the trial. Justice Omotosho overruled him, insisting the case must proceed.

At that point, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, intervened to remind the court that their withdrawal had only taken effect that morning. He urged the judge to grant Kanu time to gather his thoughts and prepare for the task of self‑representation. The prosecution raised no objection.

Justice Omotosho agreed and adjourned the matter until Friday, October 24, when Kanu is expected to formally open his defence.
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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.


Published on the Biafra Post 
September 1, 2025 

An Abuja-based human rights lawyer and member of the Nnamdi Kanu global defence team, Barrister Christopher Chidera, has taken strong exception to an opinion article written by a commentator, Olugbenga Adebamiwa, describing it as “propaganda” designed to mislead the public about the trial of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader.

The article, published by NewspotNG under the headline “From Finland to Nigeria: What Ekpa’s Conviction Teaches Us About Kanu and the Biafran Question,” compared the conviction of Simon Ekpa in Finland with Kanu’s ongoing legal ordeal in Nigeria.

Chidera, however, rejected the comparison, insisting that it was a “hatchet job” and a deliberate attempt to prepare grounds for what he called a “judicial ambush” against Kanu.

He said in a statement obtained by THE WHISTLER on Monday that, “Let it be clear from the outset: this article is not journalism, it is propaganda—crafted to deceive the public and to prepare the ground for a judicial ambush against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu ahead of his next court date.”

Ekpari, a self-acclaimed Biafra Prime Minister was on Monday convicted in Finland for terrorism-related activities.

IPOB had earlier distanced itself from Ekparima noting in a statement sent to THE WHISTLER that the Finland-based Nigerian had no connection with Nnamdi Kanu.


The lawyer argued that Ekpa’s conviction in Finland cannot be equated with Kanu’s case in Nigeria.

“Ekpa was tried in Finland under Finnish law, with due process, open evidence, and full access to lawyers. His conviction is his personal cross to bear,” Chidera noted.

He added that Kanu’s situation was fundamentally different, noting, “Kanu, by contrast, was a victim of extraordinary rendition—illegally abducted from Kenya and brought to Nigeria in clear violation of domestic and international law. To compare a lawful conviction abroad with an unlawful persecution at home is shameless falsehood.”

Chidera also dismissed Adebamiwa’s use of the phrase “allegedly renditioned,” stressing that Kanu’s forced transfer from Kenya had been legally and internationally recognised.
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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.

Published On the Biafra Post 
April 29, 2025

Four Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) have joined the legal team representing Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as his trial resumes on today  Tuesday, April 29, 2025.

The addition of the four SANs — Prof. Onyebuchi Ikpeazu, Emeka Etiaba, Mela Audu Nunghe, and Dr. Joseph Akubo — increases the number of Senior Advocates on Kanu’s team to six, and brings the total number of lawyers defending him to 19. They join existing SANs Chief Kanu Agabi and Uchenna Njoku.

In March, the Federal Government had re-arraigned Kanu on an amended seven-count charge bordering on terrorism before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Kanu, who has been in detention since 2021, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

 

During his re-arraignment, Kanu issued an apology — delivered through his new lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi, a former Attorney-General of the Federation — to Justice Binta Nyako, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), who appeared for the Federal Government, and his former legal team led by Aloy Ejimakor. Kanu said his previous attacks on them were made out of anger.

In a rare moment, the presiding judge, Justice Omotosho, also apologised to Kanu for the prolonged delay, acknowledging the ordeal he had faced. The judge noted that Kanu’s case had dragged on for over a decade without resolution and consequently ordered an accelerated trial.

 

The court fixed April 29, May 2, and May 6, 2025, for the hearings.

Kanu was initially re-arraigned before Justice Nyako on 15 amended counts after his controversial return to Nigeria from Kenya in June 2021. On April 8, 2022, the trial court struck out eight of the 15 counts, leaving seven counts — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 15 — which the Court of Appeal quashed on October 13, 2025.

However, the Federal Government appealed the appellate court’s ruling at the Supreme Court and sought a stay of execution, which was granted. On December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the Federal Government’s appeal, ruling that Kanu must face trial at the Federal High Court on the remaining charges.

Before the charges were read to Kanu during the latest proceedings, Justice Omotosho ordered the renumbering of the charges: count eight was renumbered as count six, and count fifteen as count seven.

Kanu pleaded not guilty to all counts. According to the Federal Government, Kanu, in broadcasts aired between 2018 and 2021, issued threats while ordering sit-at-home compliance in the South-East, warning that violators should "write their wills."

 

The government alleged that his broadcasts incited attacks on security personnel, leading to widespread shutdowns of banks, schools, markets, shopping malls, and petrol stations across the region.

The prosecution argued that the offences are punishable under Section 1(2)(h) of the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013.

It also alleged that Kanu directed members of IPOB “to manufacture bombs”.

The Federal Government also alleged that Kanu, between March and April 2015, “imported into Nigeria and kept in Ubulisiuzor in Ihiala LGA of Anambra, a radio transmitter known as Tram 50L, concealed in a container of used household items which you declared as used household items.”

The offence is said to contradict Section 47(2)(a) of the Criminal Code Act Cap, C45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.


March 26, 2025
Published On the Biafra Post 



Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the detained leader of the  Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has questioned why the South-East governors have yet to hold a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on the release of the IPOB leader eight months after promising to engage the President.

South-East Governors Yet To Meet With Tinubu Over Nnamdi Kanu's Release Eight Months After Promise 

Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to the detained leader of the  Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has questioned why the South-East governors have yet to hold a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on the release of the IPOB leader eight months after promising to engage the President.


Ejimakor, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, expressed disappointment over the delay, asking the governors to explain why their promised commitment has not materialised.

“In July 2024, Southeast Governors gathered together in Enugu and publicly promised to meet with President Tinubu for the release of Nnamdi Kanu,” Ejimakor stated.

He added, “South-East governors need to tell the public why this meeting has not been held after 8 months. A promise is a debt.”

The South-East governors, during their meeting in Enugu in 2024, acknowledged the growing agitation for Kanu’s release and assured stakeholders that they would lobby the presidency to secure his freedom. 

The move was seen as an attempt to address rising tensions in the region, where IPOB’s activities have been a major security concern.


Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest and extradition from Kenya in June 2021, faces charges related to terrorism and treasonable felony. 

Various court rulings, including a 2022 judgment by the Court of Appeal discharging him, have complicated the legal battle, yet he remains detained following the government’s appeal.

The failure of the governors to follow through on their promised commitment has fuelled frustration among Kanu’s supporters and political observers. 

Many believe that engaging Tinubu on the issue is critical to fostering peace in the South-East, where insecurity linked to IPOB’s agitation has led to frequent clashes between security forces and separatist elements.

Ejimakor’s remarks have reignited calls for the governors to act on their promise, with critics questioning their political will or possible external pressures stalling their efforts.

The development also raises concerns about the relationship between the South-East political leadership and the Nigerian government under President Tinubu.

As tensions persist, analysts warn that prolonged inaction on Kanu’s case could deepen discontent in the region, potentially affecting political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections. 

Whether the governors will finally push for a meeting with Tinubu remains uncertain, but pressure continues to mount.


Efforts to get reactions from the South-East Governors’ Forum were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.

 

 

In July 2024, Southeast Governors gathered together in Enugu & publicly promised to meet with President Tinubu for the release of MAZI NNAMDI KANU. SE Governors need to tell the public why this meeting has not held after 8 months. A promise is a debt. 



— aloy ejimakor (@AloyEjimakor) March 25, 2025

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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.


IPOB Press Release 
Published On The Biafra Post 
March 19, 2025 



The Noble family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide wish to categorically notify the Nigerian military that they cannot blackmail IPOB and ESN with Monday sit-at-home because we are a disciplined self-determination movement. 

IPOB members and ESN Operatives are disciplined freedom fighting volunteers fighting for survival. IPOB and ESN are the reasons that the State sponsored Fulani terrorists have not turned Biafra Land into a mass grave. ESN Operatives are the reason why Ndigbo still goes to the farm to date. 

ESN Operatives are paying a heavy sacrifice in curtailing the activities of Fulani terrorists. The reason that the Nigerian government and her murderous military are targeting and blackmailing ESN daily is so as to destroy all the defense lines of Biafrans. ESN remains the last defense for Ndigbo. 

Nigerian Army has not defended any indigenous tribe in Nigeria against the State sponsored foreign Fulani terrorists let alone defending Ndigbo that they wish should be exterminated. Any Igbo person falling for the Nigerian Government's blackmail against IPOB and ESN is a fool who hasn't understood the level of hatred that the Nigerian State has against Biafran people. 

To the Nigerian government, IPOB and ESN are big obstacles to their extermination and displacement plan against Ndigbo from our ancestral lands. No matter the level of attack, blackmail and extrajudicial executions, and disappearances by the Nigerian government against Ndigbo, IPOB remains committed towards safeguarding our land and the self-determination of independence efforts. 

The Nigerian military boasted of demarketing IPOB and to make Ndigbo hate the movement using the infamous Monday sit-at-home, which the military and Police themselves helped to enforce. Before now, the Nigerian Army and Police patrol around some rural communities in the South East on Mondays, arresting youths seen on the road, thereby helping to enforce sit-at-home. 

The Nigerian government recruited the soulless criminals called Autopiloters to impersonate IPOB and ESN to kill and destroy our people and our people's properties on Mondays in the name of enforcing the sit-at-home IPOB already suspended. It was a convert operation between the Nigerian government and the agent provocateurs. Their agenda is to use the Monday sit-at-home to convince Ndigbo that IPOB is destroying their economy. 

IPOB initiated and suspended the Monday sit-at-home after its first successful compliance. We had constantly condemned the violent enforcement of the sit-at-home, which the Nigerian Army and Police are part of the enforcement. 

Since the buffoon in Finland was arrested by the Finnish authorities, the criminals enforcing sit-at-home have gone into hiding. That's to tell you that the sit-at-home enforcers were recruited to commit crimes with the name of Biafra and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. 

Nevertheless, IPOB commends Ndigbo, who voluntarily chose to sit-at-home on Mondays in solidarity with our illegally abducted and detained leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu's plight. 

IPOB are the people, and people are IPOB!

There is no strategy that the Nigerian government will adopt to make Ndigbo reject themselves. Telling Ndigbo to reject IPOB and embrace the Nigerian Army is like telling people to reject their saviour and to embarrass their killers. The Nigerian Army should discard the idea of destroying IPOB using bullets and blackmail because that is mission impossible. 

IPOB is rooted in a strong ideology of survival!

The more Nigeria rejects and oppresses Ndigbo, the more the IPOB ideology is fueled. Nigeria has rejected Ndigbo politically, socially, and economically, and Ndigbo has rejected Nigeria in our souls and spirits. To us, Nigeria has ceased to exist, but only for a time. 

The Nigerian military officers are cowards.They are incapable of protecting Nigerians from terrorists who have taken over some local governments in Northern Nigeria. They are in the Eastern region to create artificial insecurity and to extort Ndigbo. 

How can a professional military occupy themselves with the obsession of ending a voluntary sit-at-home, which is a non-violent civil action instead of facing the rampaging terrorists ravaging the country?

Only a weak military will preoccupy themselves with civil matters while leaving terrorism to thrive. If the Nigerian Army are strong as they claimed, they should go to the North and rescue those people in the local governments taken hostage by terrorists in the Northern and Western regions. The Nigerian Army should leave IPOB, ESN, and our territory alone. The insecurity in the South East is an artificial one sponsored by the Nigerian State, who recruited criminals to distabilize the region but have failed. 

IPOB and ESN stand for Biafrans and remain the last line of defense for Ndigbo against the rampaging radical Islamic extremists in their conquest mission in Nigeria. The Nigerian Army is working with the radical extremists to destroy the Biafra's line of defense which is IPOB in order to pave the way for the Fulani terrorists to massacre Ndigbo and occupy our land like they have done in many parts of the Northern region. 

After the genocidal war against Ndigbo by the British and Nigeria governments. Ndigbo never had any group that is determined and courageous like IPOB and ESN. Ndigbo can't miss the golden opportunity to support IPOB to restore our dignity as children of light, children of Chukwu Okike Abiama. A strong movement like IPOB comes once in many generations.

The Nigerian Government, her notorious military, and South East Governors and politicians should focus on addressing the issues that are responsible for the Monday sit-at-home, which is the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and a call for Biafra Referendum. The use of intimidation and bullying people to force them out on Mondays is a cruel tactic. 

Will the Nigerian Army go to the people's houses to force them out on Mondays in order to end the sit-at-home? The answer is NO. 

Any responsible government would engage in dialogue and superior arguments to win the trust of citizens, but in the Zoological Republic like Nigeria, everything is by military intimidation and force. 

Ndigbo love Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and has chosen to sit-at-home on Mondays in solidarity with him. 
 
Igbo Governors and the Nigerian Government should toe the line of wisdom and release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and the Monday sit-at-home will immediately disappear. Blackmailing IPOB and ESN with Monday sit-at-home is a strategy that is dead on arrival.

COMRADE EMMA POWERFUL, MEDIA, AND PUBLICITY SECRETARY FOR IPOB.

#FreeMaziNnamdiKanu
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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.


By Steve Oko
Published On The Biafra Post 
March 19, 2025


The family of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has hinted that Kanu would be defending himself in court at the resumption of his trial on March 21.

This was contained in a press statement released by the family on Tuesday.

According to the statement signed by Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the IPOB Leader’s decision to defend himself was informed by his quest to get justice devoid of the usual legal impediments that had stalled his trial.

Recall that Kanu’s trial has been reassigned to Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja following the self recusal of Justice Binta Nyako who had hitherto presided over the matter.

Justice Nyako’s attempt to continue with the matter after she had earlier recused herself from it via an enrolled Court Order, was stoutly opposed and resisted by Kanu himself in his last court appearance.

Kanu has remained in a solitary confinement at the Abuja headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, since June 2021, when he was abducted and extraordinarily renditioned from Kenya.

Below is a full text of the statement made available to Vanguard in Umuahia:”On Friday, 21 March 2025, when the trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu resumes before Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court Abuja, he would be taking the bold step of defending himself in court. This development signals a critical juncture in this case that has already exposed deep-seated concerns about the Nigerian judiciary’s handling of matters tied to the legitimate agitation for Biafra self-determination.


“The absence of traditional legal representation will dismantle the usual, ‘as my lord pleases’ constraints that govern judicial proceedings in Nigeria, that has for decades allowed the courts to brazenly subvert the cause of justice under a cloak of deference that shield rather than expose injustice. The very foundations of the institutional bias that has long plagued this case will be laid bare for the world to see.

“This decision by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu comes on the heels of successfully forcing the recusal of Justice Binta Nyako that brazenly defied the Supreme Court of Nigeria through her delective implementation of determination contained in their judgement. She was hell-bent on convicting a person for exercising a right that the laws of Nigeria stated unambiguously that he could.

“The handling of this case by the federal government has been marred by prejudice and unfairness from day one. Onyendu’s shift to self-defense underscores our distrust in a system perceived to be stacked against us and the cause he champions. It also places an immense burden on Justice Omotosho to uphold the principles of fair hearing, fair trial, and the rule of law—principles that have too often been undermined in this politically charged sham trial.


Nnamdi Kanu's trial under 'repealed' law, mere charade – Lawyer
Alleged terrorism: New trail judge fixes March 21 for Nnamdi Kanu’s trial


“The world is watching. Any failure by Justice Omotosho to ensure justice is not only done but seen to be done will further erode confidence in a judiciary already criticized for its selective application of the law. The stakes could not be higher, and the implications of this trial extend far beyond the courtroom.”



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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.

By Donatus Anichukwueze
Published On the Biafra post 
March 18, 2025

Some people who are calling for the release of the IPOB leader argue that it will reduce the level of insecurity in the South-East.

   
The governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, says that releasing the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, from detention and insecurity in the South-East are two different issues.


Kanu has been in the detention of the Department of State Services (DSS) for about 5 years since his arrest from Kenya by the Nigerian government despite calls from different quarters for his release.

Some people who are calling for the release of the IPOB leader argue that it will reduce the level of insecurity in the South-East.



But during a media chat to celebrate his third anniversary on Monday, Governor Soludo who is among those that have been calling for Kanu’s release said, “The release of Nnamdi Kanu for me is different from the issue of security, I separate the two, I don’t link the two.


“Nnamdi Kanu for me is for us to have a conversation of a long-term future for the Igbos and that is a different conversation.

“For the criminals who are kidnappers, we have given them olive branch, come out, we will train you, we will empower you, we will rehabilitate you, if you don’t we take you out.”

Soludo said that his continued appeal for the release of the IPOB leader is to have him around so that he could be a part of a broader discussion to decide the future of the Igbo people.

However, the governor recalled that whilst he continued his appeal for Kanu’s release, “a whole lot of this Simon Ekpa and some of this his band of criminals took over and turned the things into a killing spree, just killing people with reckless abandon.”


Simon Ekpa, who claimed to have taken over as IPOB leader upon Kanu’s arrest, was arrested in Finland where he resides in November last year by the Finnish police for what it termed “public exhortation to an offence, committed with terrorist intent.”

Governor Soludo said that he has no idea what Ekpa is pursuing other than to “swindle people for money.”

 

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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.

Published on the Biafra Post 
Nov 21,2024

There is essentially one bold step the Federal Government of Nigeria may take, and the insecurity rearing its ugly head in the South East Zone may automatically cease. That step is the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention. 

The above assertion is the popular opinion of most Igbo people. Ndigbo believe that the moment Kanu, the supreme leader of IPOB is set free, insecurity in the region will surely reduce it to its barest minimum.

“Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge in the South East currently is the hydra-headed monster called insecurity. It is mainly caused and its sustenance made possible by the continued detention of the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. I tell you, release Kanu today, and insecurity in the entire Igbo nation will largely disappear”, Igwe Onyekachi stated in Awka, Anambra State.

The political scientist added, “Let me say this with every sense of respect. There is no reason why the federal government should still be detaining Kanu.

“To begin with, the court had freed him and even acquitted him. Rather than the Federal Government obeying the court order, it turned around and preferred new charges against the Biafran agitator. That is not the way to go”.

A public affairs analyst, Sunny Igboanugo, submitted that what was baffling about Kanu’s incarceration was, that agitators from the other political zones who were carrying out the same action as the director of Radio Biafra had been walking the streets as free men.

He gave the example of Sunday Igbogho, who dared to saunter to No. 10 Downing Street, London, England, and submitted an application to the British Government praying for the creation of the Oduduwa Republic out of Nigeria. Almost two months after his action, Igboanugo wondered why the Federal Government has yet to apprehend the Oduduwa Republic promoter for prosecution.

It beats any reasonable imagination why both former president, retired General Muhammadu Buhari, and current President Bola Tinubu never hearkened to the pleas of respected Igbo leaders who at various times urged the Federal Government to set Kanu free.

The floodgate of clarion call was pathetically opened by the First Republic parliamentarian and erstwhile minister of aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi. The old man, before dying at the ripe age of 92, called on Buhari to release Kanu to him as a parting gift to him. As a seasoned parliamentarian, he employed all manner of positive legislative intrigues, beginning Buhari for MNK’s release, but the then-president never listened. “It was highly insulting because that peaceful old man died without Buhari listening to him”, Chika Akukwe stated then.



The Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof Ben Nwabueze took it from there and continued from where Amaechi stopped. “Nwabueze, using all legal windows called on both Buhari and Tinubu to obey the court order that discharged as well as acquitted Kanu and allow the man to go home.

“Nwabueze reminded Tinubu that he was at the forefront of human rights activists and pro-democracy groups calling on the military governments of both Late General Sani Abacha as well as retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar to grant freedom to the hitherto detained acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993, presidential election, Bashroun MKO Abiola. Buhari left office, and Kanu was still in detention.

“Now, Tinubu came and Nwabueze was unwavering in his application for Kanu’s release. The legal luminary had passed on and Tinubu is into his second-year presidency, yet he has turned deaf ears to Nwabueze’s calls for MNK’s freedom”, Chuka Nwaubani, enthused.

The point must be made here that the late governor of old Anambra State and Ohanaeze big shot, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, was an ally of Tinubu during the heady days of NADECO. Ezeife, a political economist and a perfectionist, explored his imagined closeness with Tinubu to seek for avenues for the eventual release of Kanu from detention. It was an unfruitful expedition.

In the early days of Kanu’s arrest, detention, and arraignment, the three prominent Igbo who regularly identified with him in the court were Amaechi, Nwabueze, and Ezeife. Sadly, the three men are dead without realising their collective dream of seeing Kanu out of the bar!

Another painful narration of the politics of Kanu’s freedom was when renowned diplomat, Prof George Obiozo emerged as the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and swiftly sought Kanu’s release through diplomacy and diplomatic channels. Both Buhari and Tinubu never granted his prayers. He died while Kanu was still in detention.

Of course, Chief (Engr) Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu succeeded Obiozo in office. Iwuanyanwu was a man with powerful contacts and intimidating connections. He sprouts out his connecting tentacles, seeking his release. It was a tragic experience as Iwuanyanwu died and never saw the release of Kanu.

According to Ben Nnamdi, “If you consider how successive prominent Igbo leaders went to both Buhari and Tinubu begging for the release of Kanu even they (Buhari and Tinubu) snubbed all of them, then you should understand why there is a high scale of insecurity in the South East because of Kanu’s long incarceration in detention. Are you aware all of them: Amaechi, Ezeife, Nwabueze, Obiozo and Iwuanyanwu all died without the central government considering their pleas from nationalistic or statesmanship status”, Nwaubani concluded.


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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.

For reference purpose, Extraordinary rendition involves the extrajudicial transfer of a person from one country to another, often without due legal extradition process. While governments who have engaged in the international crime argues that it is a crucial tool in combating terrorism, critics contends that it violates fundamental human rights and undermines the principles of justice.

One of the key issues bedeviling the act extraordinary rendition is the lack of due process. Individuals subjected to this draconian process, are totally denied the opportunity to defend themselves in a court of law before been rendered, leading to a glaring absence of justice. 

On this note the following questions has to be carefully considered; Can a government fairly try an individual they have extraordinarily rendition, in their court without violating the very principles of justice they claim they intend to uphold?  Does their legal system or constitution legitimize and condones the rendition crime, and are they not under International treaties and binding signatories that abhors the rendition crime?

The United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment explicitly prohibits the transfer of individuals to countries where they may face torture. Extraordinary rendition invariably places its victims precisely in such precarious situations, infringing upon their basic human rights and dispelling the tenacious authority of international law that protects these rights. The case of Mazi Kanu falls squarely under the above description as he is being subjected to severe physical, psychological and mental torture in the Nigerian Department Of States Service (DSS) solitary confinement cell in Abuja.


Nnamdi Kanu's case in the extraordinary rendition context is not only delicate but unique. The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), movement was kidnapped, tortured for eight days in Kenya before being extraordinarily rendition to Nigeria, under trumped up terrorism charges - which overtime has been ultimately quashed by various competent court of jurisdiction in Nigeria -  stating that his methods of political activism which are peaceful demonstration and civil disobedience are totally legal, and are in no violation of either the Nigerian constitution or International law.

Thus, the ill-conceived act of rendition committed by the Nigerian government against the IPOB Leader, raising serious concerns about its obligation to due process, transparency, and adherence to international legal standards and biddings. 


Evaluating this is crucial in understanding the responsibility and legitimacy of the successive Nigeria governments especially with its flagrant disregard for its own court resolutions, such as the decision of the Appeal court on 13th October,2022 - which ordered the discharge and acquittal of Mazi Kanu and further barring his trial in any Nigeria court, on the premises of the extraordinary means through which he was brought to stand trial in Nigeria.

Furthermore, it is becoming evident that Nigeria's legal system is rather ill-equipped to handle the case of Mazi Kanu, or has little or nothing to do in ensuring that the informed decisions of competent court of jurisdiction, are executed to the letter. Thus, the need for diversification is required in resolving the disagreements between the two parties - IPOB and the Nigerian government. And, it is totally in the place of the IPOB movement which he Kanu - is at the helm, to determine which means or strategy is suitable to confront the Nigerian government with.


The practice of extraordinary rendition presents a formidable challenge to the principles of justice and human rights as far as International law is concerned. The case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu serves as a viable lens through which, one can see in its entirety, the commitment of the Nigerian state to legal norms and international standards. And in this context, states who do not respect either its own laws nor its International obligations falls under the global description of a pariah state.


Written By Chima O. Biafra

Edited By Enenienwite Ikechukwu

For Family Writers Press International
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The Biafra Post: breaking Biafra news, IPOB and ESN updates, politics and analysis from Biafraland, Nigeria and the diaspora.

Published on the Biafra Post 
8th December 2023



The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has expressed readiness to receive their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, after the Supreme Court ruling on December15.

Spokesperson of the group, Emma Powerful, in a statement, yesterday, urged IPOB members to remain calm and peaceful, while waiting for the judgement.

In the same vein, the group urged the Supreme Court to emulate the earlier ruling of the Appeal Court, which discharged  Kanu.

The statement read in parts: “IPOB wishes to reiterate that our leader, Kanu, did not commit any crime both locally or internationally, and we expect  the justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to toe the line of justice, and unconditionally release him.

“The Supreme Court justices should emulate the Appeal Court justices, who refused to bow to the executive branch of government’s intimidation, but discharged Mazi Kanu and barred the Nigeria government from further arrest and prosecution of our leader.


“The Supreme Court justices should use their privileged office to stop the executive recklessness and abuse of the rights of Mazi Kanu by releasing him unconditionally.

“The Nigeria government cannot brazenly violate their constitution and international laws on extradition with the  backing of the Nigeria judiciary. The Supreme Court justices know very well that the extraordinary rendition is an international crime.

“All eyes are on the Supreme Court justices. Mazi Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra movement globally. The IPOB self-determination movement has been peaceful and civil in our demand for Biafra Independence via a UN supervised referendum.


“The release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from illegal detention is very important for the peace in Nigeria, particularly in the South eastern region.

“We call on all Biafrans, who believe in our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to keep calm and ensure that there is peace in all parts of Biafra land. We are aware that our enemies will create insecurity and violence as the Supreme Court judgment approaches.

“Every IPOB member and true Biafran should resist those enemies of peace. We encourage every Biafran to remain calm and prayerful as we wait for our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to rejoin us on December 15, 2023, after the Supreme Court’s judgement.”

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