Nigeria’s Supreme Court is poised to make a significant ruling regarding the release of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu heads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group advocating for the establishment of an independent state in southeastern Nigeria.
Nnamdi Kanu is seeking his release from custody, contending that the government lacks a valid basis to continue detaining him. Simultaneously, the government has filed an appeal seeking to extend his detention.
Initially arrested in 2015, Kanu fled Nigeria in 2017 while on bail. He has been in custody since 2021 after being repatriated from Kenya to face terrorism charges.
In October of the previous year, an appeals court ordered Kanu’s release, citing legal irregularities in his extradition. However, the government contested his release, asserting that the separatist leader represented a flight risk and a security threat.
Leaders from southeastern Nigeria have joined the call for Kanu’s release. The Supreme Court’s forthcoming ruling is anticipated to carry significant implications for the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding Nnamdi Kanu.