A spokesperson of the British High Commission, Dean Hurlock, has disclosed that the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was not arrested in the United Kingdom.
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 through the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and security services.
He, however, did not reveal details of the operation nor stated where Kanu was arrested.
Kanu was believed to have fled to the UK after he was granted bail in April 2017, with many concluding that he was arrested in the UK.
In his reaction, Hurlock said, “We can confirm that Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested in the UK for extradition purposes.”
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.
