A Kenyan High Court has declared the rendition of the leader of the Indigenous People of the Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, illegal and international lawlessness.
The resounding judicial earthquake has shaken the legal foundations of the rendition of Mazi Kanu.
In a historic, courageous, and landmark judgement delivered on June 24, 2025, the High Court of Kenya, sitting in Nairobi, found that the abduction, incommunicado detention, torture, and illegal transfer of Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021 was unlawful, unconstitutional, and a gross violation of his fundamental human rights under Kenyan and international law.
The judgement vindicated the consistent position of some Nigerian courts that what transpired in Nairobi in June 2021 was not extradition but extraordinary rendition, a criminal act of state-sponsored international terrorism involving the highest authorities of the Nigerian and Kenyan governments.
Kanu’s lead counsel in the Kenyan litigation was led by renowned human rights lawyer, Professor PLO Lumumba.
IPOB spokesperson and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful Media, noted that Professor Lumumba’s “courage, clarity, and tenacity led to this monumental legal victory”.
Comrade Powerful also extended heartfelt appreciation to the Kenyan judiciary, especially Hon. Justice E.C. Mwita, “who stood tall against ferocious political interference and international diplomatic pressure to deliver a fearless judgement grounded in law, morality, and constitutional justice”.
According to him, Kanu did not commit any crime in Kenya.
He entered Kenya lawfully as a British citizen and was abducted in broad daylight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by agents of Nigeria’s secret police in collusion with rogue elements of the Kenyan security apparatus.
“He was chained, tortured, denied medication, and eventually bundled onto a private jet and flown illegally to Abuja without any extradition hearing or judicial warrant,” Powerful regretted.
Meanwhile, the recent judgment held the Kenyan government liable for violations of Kanu’s rights.
It also awarded compensatory damages of 10 million Kenyan shillings against the respondents, which was described as “a massive blow to Nigeria’s false narrative” by IPOB spokesperson.
The court, amongst other things, held that:
- Nnamdi Kanu was abducted without any lawful cause;
- He was tortured and detained incommunicado in violation of the Kenyan Constitution;
- His removal from Kenya was unconstitutional and illegal;
- The Kenyan government was complicit in the illegal operation in concert with the Nigerian government.
This verdict indicted former presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and former Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, as well as other accomplices.
It also left a slap on former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a Professor of Law.
