….as IPOB kills two soldiers in Enugu
Leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPO), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, currently being detained over treason charges, has sensationally revealed how the Nigerian authorities nabbed him in Kenya.
His special counsel, Mr Aloy Ejimakor, who had a three-hour chat with Kanu at the Department of State Service (DSS) detention camp yesterday, quoted Kanu as saying that Nigeria’s federal government conned the Kenyan authorities into believing that he was linked to the dreaded al-Shabab terrorist group.
Kanu, Ejimakor also claimed, said he was held incommunicado and chained to a bare floor for eight days in a nondescript private facility in Kenya, in the course of his ordeal, until his eventual repatriation to Nigeria.
Kanu who is standing trial on treason charges, had jumped bail over a year ago and flew to Britain before getting was eventually arrested in Kenya and repatriated back to Nigeria, three weeks ago.
“The people that abducted him said that they were told by their sponsors that Kanu was a Nigerian terrorist linked to the Islamic terrorists in Kenya, presumably Al-Shabab.
“But after several days when they discovered his true identity, they tended to treat him less badly. Despite that, they told him they felt committed to hand him over to those that hired them,” Ejimakor recalled.
Al-Shabab, a terrorist, jihadist group based in East Africa and Yemen, had carried out many deadly attacks in Kenya, thus putting the authorities on their toes.
There were, however, indications that the Nigerian government had contracted a third party, probably outside the knowledge and involvement of the Kenyan government, for the “interception” of Kanu, going by his revelations.
Kanu said he was held incommunicado and chained to a bare floor for eight days in a nondescript private facility in Kenya.
Ejimakor further quoted Kanu as saying no warrant of arrest was shown to him or even mentioned to him, before his seizure.
“Kanu was in point of fact tortured and subjected to untold cruel and inhuman treatment in Kenya. He said his abductors disclosed to him that they abducted him at the behest of the Nigerian government.
“He was blindfolded and driven to the tarmac very close to the plane without passing through the airport immigration. The plane departed Nairobi at about 12 p.m. and arrived Abuja in the evening.
“Kanu was flown to Abuja in the private jet on Sunday 27th June, 2021 from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi and he was the lone passenger,” the lawyer disclosed.
Ejimakor said further that Kanu was interviewed for the first time by three SSS officers, in his presence.
“The interview was revealing as it contained certain new allegations that were never heard of before. But all the questions relate directly or indirectly to his status as the leader of IPOB.
“I observed that despite what he has passed through, he was in high spirits and looked forward to overcoming the extraordinary rendition that brought him to Nigeria.
“In my assessment of how the case now stands, I wager that before any court can subject Kanu to trial for any offences, it has to first conduct a trial within trial on the grievous incident that forced him to leave Nigeria and the equally grievous incident that forced him back to Nigeria.
“No court of law, conscience and equity will overlook those two supervening incidents and proceed to trial,” Ejimakor appraised.
Beyond treason, the Nigerian government has also accused Kanu of ‘orchestrating’ the killings of about 60 people, including security officials in the country’s South-east region.
IPOB, which had been proscribed by the government, has, however, denied being responsible for the killings.
Meanwhile, two Nigerian soldiers were shot dead on Tuesday in Enugu State.
The Nigerian Army said in a statement that the soldiers were killed when members of the Eastern Security Network, a security arm of IPOB, attacked a military checkpoint.
