A High Court in Nairobi, Kenya, has declared the abduction and subsequent extradition of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to Nigeria as unlawful and illegal, awarding him 10 million Kenyan shillings (approximately ₦120 million) in damages.
In a judgment delivered by Justice E.C. Mwita on June 24, 2025, the court found that both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments violated Kanu’s fundamental human rights when he was abducted in Kenya in June 2021 and forcibly returned to Nigeria without due legal process.
Justice Mwita ruled that Kanu, who entered Kenya legally as a British citizen, was entitled to the protection of the Kenyan Constitution, which the government failed to uphold. The court found that he was abducted, held incommunicado, tortured, denied food and medication, and eventually removed from Kenya without legal authorization.
“The government of Kenya violated the Constitution and Mr. Nnamdi Kanu’s rights and fundamental freedoms,” the judge stated. “He was chained, humiliated, ridiculed and held in contempt and later forcibly removed from Kenya without following the law.”
The court declared the actions as a breach of both Kenyan law and international human rights protocols, awarding Kanu general damages of 10 million Kenyan shillings against the Attorney General of Kenya on behalf of the government.
Reacting to the judgment, the IPOB described the verdict as a landmark legal victory and a vindication of its position that Kanu’s transfer from Kenya to Nigeria was an illegal rendition rather than a lawful extradition.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB praised the Kenyan judiciary and its legal team led by Professor PLO Lumumba. The group also accused Nigerian and Kenyan authorities of colluding in what it described as “state-sponsored international terrorism.”
“This verdict places a permanent and indelible legal stain on the records of former presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and their officials,” the statement said.
IPOB further vowed to pursue global legal accountability against all those involved in Kanu’s rendition, asserting that “international borders will no longer shield criminal regimes from justice.”
The group thanked Justice Mwita and its legal counsel for what it called a fearless and morally upright judgment.
