A High Court sitting in Nairobi, Kenya, has declared the abduction and subsequent rendition of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), to Nigeria in June 2021 as illegal and unconstitutional.
In a landmark judgement delivered by Justice E.C. Mwita on June 24, 2025, the court ruled that the actions of both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments constituted a gross violation of Kanu’s fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
Justice Mwita found that Kanu, who lawfully entered Kenya as a British citizen, was abducted, tortured, held in incommunicado detention, and forcibly removed to Nigeria without due process. The court held that the Kenyan government had a legal obligation to protect his rights but instead colluded in his unlawful rendition.
The judge ordered the Kenyan government to pay Kanu 10 million Kenyan shillings (approximately ₦119.5 million) as general damages for the violation of his constitutional rights and fundamental freedoms.
“A declaration is hereby issued that the abduction and subsequent forcible removal of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria was unconstitutional and illegal,” the court ruled.
In response, IPOB hailed the decision as a “resounding judicial earthquake” and a vindication of its long-standing claim that Kanu was a victim of extraordinary rendition.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB praised the legal team led by Professor PLO Lumumba and commended the Kenyan judiciary for upholding justice in the face of political and diplomatic pressure.
The group vowed to pursue global accountability for what it described as an act of “state-sponsored international terrorism,” calling on the international community to recognise the legal implications of the verdict.
Kanu was arrested in June 2021 at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and flown to Nigeria under controversial circumstances. He has since been facing trial in Nigeria on charges related to treason and terrorism.
