Brother of IPOB leader claims Kenya has confirmed Kanu did not undergo extradition process

Kingsley Kanunta Kanu, brother to the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has claimed that the Kenyan government has confirmed that his brother did not undergo extradition proceedings in the East African nation.

Kanu disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, shared by the IPOB leader’s top lawyer, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor.

It would be recalled that Ejimakor had maintained that his client was “abducted” in Kenya before being brought to Nigeria in June.

According to him, since Kanu is a British citizen and entered Kenya with his British passport, he ought not to have been brought to Nigeria for any reason without valid court orders for his extradition, noting that it was against international laws to illegally arrest someone on foreign land, an act that amounts to “abduction”.

He added that Kanu’s fundamental human rights were grossly violated by those who masterminded his “rendition” to Nigeria, accusing the Kenyan Government of culpability.

Ejimakor explained that Kanu cannot be lawfully prosecuted by the Federal Government of Nigeria unless the issue of his extra-ordinary rendition is first discharged, and if he is to stand trial in Nigeria, he will first be returned to Kenya and Britain where he resides before Nigeria will apply for his extradition in a British court.

However, Kanunta Kanu claimed that the Kenyan government filed its suit in respect of the separatist leader’s matter on Tuesday, and part of their defence was that ‘there are no extradition proceedings to justify that it is responsible for Nnamdi Kanu’s extradition.

According to the statement, Kanu claimed that following his brother’s extraordinary rendition in June this year, the Kenyan Government had publicly issued a series of statements, denying its complicity in the abominable act.

“In the said defence that it filed in Court, Kenya has not only persisted in its denials, but it went further to confirm that my brother was denied the benefit of the due process of extradition in Kenya or even a lawful arrest,” he said.

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“In particular, the defence the Kenyan Government filed in court stated in major part ‘That there are no extradition proceedings to justify that the Government of Kenya is responsible for the subject’s extradition.”

The statement read: “That there is no OB record from any of the Police stations within the Country to indicate that the subject in issue was lawfully arrested and detained for purposes of commencing extradition proceedings.

“It needs to be emphasized that above admissions have officially confirmed our long-held position that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s transfer from Kenya to Nigeria is unlawful, not lawful as was claimed by the Nigerian Government.

“This latest revelation, officially made in open Court by Kenya, further solidifies our abiding position that the Nigerian Government cannot benefit from its wrong by subjecting my brother to trial.

“As the next hearing date unfolds to 7th December 2021, more legal processes will be in view. Our immediate goal is to secure the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention.”

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