The family of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu has accused Liz Truss, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, of disregarding evidence that the IPOB leader was brought to Nigeria in an act of extraordinary rendition from Kenya.
They also charged Truss with failing to bring Kanu’s “illegal” incarceration in Nigeria to an end.
Kanu, the separatist group’s leader, has been held since his extradition to Nigeria in June 2021.
The IPOB leader is a British citizen, and his fans and family are upset that the UK appears to be doing little to help him get released.
See What Court Said About Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest in Kenya
The Nigerian government earlier stated that Kanu was extradited to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, with the help of Interpol, but Kanu’s family claims that the IPOB leader was apprehended and tortured in Kenya before being transferred to Nigeria.
According to the Guardian UK, the family’s lawyers, Bindmans LLP, believe there is “overwhelming evidence” that he was subjected to extraordinary rendition in a pre-action legal letter to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.
The letter highlights Kanu’s statement to his lawyers and brother, an expert report identifying the flight they think he was illegally carried on, and the Nigerian government’s unwillingness to disclose facts as to how Kanu – who did not have his British passport with him – arrived in Nigeria.
Bindmans, which has previously threatened legal action over lack of consular assistance for Kanu, says Truss must take a view on whether there has been a breach of international law or face a court challenge.
Nigeria, Kenya Dragged To African Commission Over Extradition of Nnamdi Kanu
“If Mr Kanu has been subject to extraordinary rendition, this is a grave breach of international law which has a significant impact on the discretion which the secretary of state exercises in respect of the steps she should take to assist Mr Kanu under international and domestic law,” wrote Bindmans solicitor Shirin Marker.
“Forming a view as to whether a breach of international law has occurred, and if so the gravity of the breach, is therefore an essential prerequisite to the exercise of discretion on taking further steps at international and domestic law.”
According to the letter, Kanu was tortured and subjected to inhuman treatment in Kenya last year. He was allegedly detained by security agents in Kenya, who took him to a house where he was chained to the floor and beaten for approximately eight days. He was subsequently put on a private jet on June 27 and flown to Abuja, the letter also says.
Kanu’s brother, Kingsley, said: “With every day that passes, I am increasingly concerned for my brother’s welfare in detention and increasingly frustrated by the UK government’s ineffectiveness in assisting him. I hope the court will rule the foreign secretary must recognise the seriousness of my brother’s situation and properly consider what other steps she can take to assist him in light of his extraordinary rendition.”
Kanu was arrested in Nigeria in 2015 and charged with terrorism-related offences. But in 2017 after securing bail, the military invaded his home in Abia State, allegedly killing many IPOB members. Kanu subsequently fled Nigeria.
However, his case has since resumed at a Federal High Court in Abuja following his rendition and detention by Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS).
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