This archive report was first published on 1 July 2021.
On July 26, 2021, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya. According to sources, Kanu had arrived at the airport on Saturday night but was detained by immigration authorities over a minor issue.
He was held for several hours before being handed over to Nigerian authorities, who had alerted Kenyan authorities to his presence. Kanu's passport records revealed that he had traveled to Israel from Germany before arriving in Kenya.
Kanu, who runs a radio station from London called Radio Biafra, is accused of leading IPOB, which is labeled as a terrorist group by Nigerian authorities. The group has been demanding that the Eastern Region of Nigeria be allowed to become an independent country.
He was first arrested in 2015 in Nigeria and faced 11 counts, including links to terrorism and improper importation of goods. Kanu jumped bail in 2017 and had been wanted in Nigeria for two years before his arrest in Kenya.
Nigeria's Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, thanked the Kenyan government for aiding in Kanu's arrest, stating that it was necessary for him to face trial. However, the arrest has sparked controversy, with the Coalition of Igbo-British lawyers criticizing Kenya for not following due process and threatening to take the matter to the International Criminal Court.
