IPOB Hails Kenyan Court Ruling Declaring Kanu’s Abduction Unconstitutional

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has applauded a landmark judgment by the High Court of Kenya, which declared the abduction and forced transfer of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021 as unlawful and unconstitutional.

In a ruling delivered on June 24, 2025, Justice E.C. Mwita condemned both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments for violating Kanu’s fundamental rights, awarding him KSh10 million in damages.

Justice Mwita, in the strongly worded judgment, said, “The government of Kenya violated the Constitution and Mr. Nnamdi Kanu’s rights and fundamental freedoms. Having entered Kenya lawfully, he was subject to the protection offered by the Constitution of Kenya 2010. However, he was abducted, kept in solitary confinement, tortured, and forcibly removed from Kenya without following the law.”

The judge ruled that Kanu’s detention without communication, denial of basic needs, and his forcible return to Nigeria breached both Kenyan constitutional rights and international legal protocols.

Reacting to the judgment, IPOB, through a statement signed by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, described the verdict as a “resounding judicial earthquake” that vindicated the group’s long-held stance on Kanu’s illegal rendition.

“He was abducted in broad daylight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, chained, tortured, and flown illegally to Abuja without any extradition hearing or judicial warrant,” the group said.

IPOB accused both nations of colluding in what it called “a criminal act of state-sponsored international terrorism.”

The separatist group maintained that the ruling would forever stain the legacies of former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, adding that the judgment marked the start of a global legal campaign to hold all involved parties accountable.

“This verdict places a permanent legal stain on the records of former presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Muhammadu Buhari, as well as their accomplices,” IPOB said.

IPOB also extended appreciation to Professor PLO Lumumba, who led Kanu’s legal team in Kenya, and praised Justice Mwita for his “courage, clarity, and tenacity” in delivering the landmark ruling.

“All those responsible, in Kenya, Nigeria, or elsewhere, shall be pursued to the ends of the earth under the universal principle of accountability for crimes against humanity,” the group warned.