Kenyan Court Declares Nnamdi Kanu’s Abduction and Rendition to Nigeria Unlawful

A High Court in Nairobi has ruled that the 2021 abduction and extradition of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was illegal and violated his fundamental human rights. Justice E.C. Mwita delivered the landmark judgment on June 24, 2025, stating that both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments acted unlawfully and in breach of constitutional and international law.

Justice Mwita found that Kanu, a British citizen, had lawfully entered Kenya and was entitled to protection under the country’s 2010 Constitution. However, he was abducted, held incommunicado, tortured, and eventually transferred to Nigeria without due process — all in violation of his rights.

“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 later forcibly removed from Kenya in violation of the law.”

The court awarded Kanu 10 million Kenyan shillings (approximately ₦119.5 million) in general damages, to be paid by the Kenyan government through the office of the Attorney General.

In response, IPOB described the ruling as a “resounding judicial earthquake” that confirmed its long-standing position that Kanu’s transfer to Nigeria amounted to extraordinary rendition, not legal extradition.

“This judgment vindicates our consistent position that what transpired in Nairobi in June 2021 was not extradition but extraordinary rendition — a criminal act of state-sponsored international terrorism,” said IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful in a statement.

The group praised lead counsel Professor PLO Lumumba for his legal advocacy and lauded Justice Mwita for resisting political and diplomatic pressure in delivering what they called a courageous and historic ruling.

“This verdict places a permanent and indelible legal stain on the records of former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, Muhammadu Buhari, and their accomplices,” IPOB stated, promising to launch a global campaign for accountability.

They also condemned the alleged role of Nigerian officials and international actors, vowing that “neither British diplomatic complicity nor cowardly silence from Western powers will shield the perpetrators.”

IPOB concluded by dedicating the victory to oppressed peoples worldwide and warning authoritarian regimes that impunity will no longer go unchallenged.