Details of how the most wanted Nigerian fugitive with alleged terror links was nabbed in Kenya, K24 Digital can now reveal.
K24 Digital has established that Nnamdi Kanu who is the leader of Nigerian separatist organization Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was captured by Kenyan authorities at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as he tried to enter the country.
Kanu had on Saturday night arrived at the busiest airport but even before he could make it out of the premises he had an issue with immigration authorities.
A source that spoke to this reporter in confidence as they are not authorised to speak to the media said that Kanu was nabbed in what was described as a minor issue.
“He was nabbed and held for some hours as the authorities tried to address a migration issue which was described as minor. Moments later he was handed over to Nigerian Authority,” the source said.
The incident is said to have captured the attention of Nigerian diplomatic officials who alerted the Kenyan authorities asking that he is handed over to his native country.
Kanu was held until the following day, Sunday 27, 2021- and was handed over to Nigerian security agents who managed to convince their Kenyan counterparts that he was wanted in the Western African country after he jumped bail.
His passport records seen by this reporter revealed that Kanu had travelled to Israel from Germany before he travelled to Kenya where he was nabbed.
Kanu who runs a radio station from London called Radio Biafra is accused of leading IPOB which is labelled as a terrorist group by the Nigerian authorities.
The group has been demanding that the Eastern Region of Nigeria is allowed to be a country by itself.
He was first arrested in 2015 in Nigeria and faced 11 counts which included; links to terrorism, illegal possession of firearms, improper importation of goods, defamatory statements and publications amongst others.
His arrest led to serious demonstrations in the Eastern part of Nigeria as they demanded that he is released.
In 2017, Kanu jumped bail and he has been wanted over the case that he was facing for the two years before he disappeared.
In a statement earlier this week, Abubakar Malami who is Nigeria’s Minister of Justice thanked the Kenyan Government for aiding the Western Africa country arrest Kanu.
He further said that the arrest was appropriate as there is need for Kanu to go on facing trial.
However, his arrest might put Kenya in a fix if a Thursday morning address by the Coalition of Igbo-British lawyers is anything to go by.
Through attorney E.R Okoroafor, the lawyers criticized Kenya for the illegal manner in which its authority nabbed Kanu and threatened that they were planning to take the matter to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Kenya did not follow the due process when they arrested Kanu and handed him over to Nigeria. Kanu was in Kenya as a British national and not Nigerian since he was using his British passport,” he said.
