The British High Commission has said that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was not arrested in the UK and extradited to Nigeria as widely reported in the media.
A spokesperson for the Commission, Dean Hurlock, told TheCable that while they can confirm Kanu’s arrest, the IPOB leader was not arrested in the UK where he is based.
“Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested in the UK for extradition purposes,” said Hurlock.
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had told newsmen in Abuja that Kanu was picked up on Sunday following “the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and security services”.
Meanwhile, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, has said he also spoke with a top UK government source who confirmed to him that the British government was not involved in Kanu’s arrest or extradition.
Read below what the Nigerian human rights activist and lawyer wrote on his Facebook timeline.
I just spoke with a top UK government source. Nnamdi Kanu was NOT arrested or extradited by the British. According to this official, Kanu was “almost definitely arrested in KENYA” and “it was an illegal detention”. I won’t reveal my source, but I have him on record.
For those who do not know how these things operate, the United Kingdom is a civilised nation that is governed by the Rule of Law. No one, no matter how wanted, can be arrested and extradited without extradition hearings before a court, especially when that person is a British citizen.
There are Nigerians who are currently fighting their extradition to Nigeria in court in the UK. They cannot leave the UK on their own volition or on the request of the Nigerian government until their hearings are exhausted. If they lose at the court of first instance, they have a right of appeal.
I repeat, Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested or extradited by the British government.
Also, it is a lie that he boarded a plane and came to Nigeria by himself. That is just propaganda.
