Politics
IPOB leader, Kanu, was not arrested in UK –British govt
Contrary to earlier reports that the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was arrested in the United Kingdom, a spokesperson of the British High Commission, Dean Hurlock, has debunked the claim, saying Kanu was not arrested in the UK.
Ripples Nigeria had reported that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, at an emergency media briefing in his office on Tuesday disclosed Kanu’s arrest.
Malami had said Kanu was arrested through the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and security services; however, he neither gave details of the operation nor stated where Kanu was arrested.
Since the IPOB leader was believed to have fled to the UK after he was granted bail in April 2017, many had concluded that he was arrested in the UK.
Read also: Court remands IPOB leader, Kanu, in DSS custody, schedules July 26 for trial
According to a report by The Cable, Hurlock said, “We can confirm that Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested in the UK for extradition purposes.”
Meanwhile, a report by The Sun, a UK newspaper, noted that the British-born activist and Biafra leader was arrested in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on June 27.
However, after Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, gave an order for Kanu to be remanded in custody until July 26, 2021, the IPOB leader told the court that he decided to go underground because his house was raided but he was able to escape, noting that if he had not escaped, he might have been killed like other members of the group.
Nyako had granted Kanu bail on health grounds in 2017, barring him from granting press interviews while on bail, and had also warned him not to participate in any rally or be found in a crowd of more than 10 persons.
Kanu went on the run after he skipped his court date in 2017, and his whereabouts before his arrest were unknown.
By Victor Uzoho…
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