The incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu's family has denied rumors that they had plans to disrupt President-elect Bola Tinubu's inauguration event.
Prince Emmanuel Kanu, Nnamdi Kanu's brother, stated that neither the family nor IPOB had any plans to interfere with the inauguration in Abia or elsewhere in the nation.
In an interview with Vanguard, Kanu made this statement. He was adamant that anyone seeking to associate the family with such evil deeds was only trying to blackmail the family and the cause.
"We don't participate in it. We should not be included in any such conspiracy, whoever it may be. We don't participate and oppose such behavior. The people who carry out such actions are our people's true adversaries, he claimed.
Mischief makers should stop exploiting the IPOB moniker, according to Kanu's family, who also noted that the IPOB led by his brother believes in peace and will continue to advance peace.
According to Kanu, the family's main concern is how to ensure Kanu's release rather than how to interfere with any inaugurations.
Nnamdi Okwu Kanu (born September 25, 1967) (listen)is a British-Nigerian[6] political activist who supports Biafra's separation from Nigeria and independence He created the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in 2014, and today serves as its leader. The primary objective of IPOB is the restoration of the Biafran separatist state that existed in Nigeria's Eastern Region during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–
Kanu promoted Biafran separatism as the head of Radio Biafra, a radio station licensed to broadcast in the United Kingdom On October 14, 2015, Kanu was jailed for more than a year in Lagos, Nigeria on treason accusations, despite numerous court decisions calling for his release. Kanu often showed up in court donning a Jewish prayer shawl and head covering.
covering. In court, he claimed that he "believes in Judaism" and regards himself as a Jew. He also claimed that he frequently guides his Biafran people in participating in various Jewish prayers and religious observances. Kanu was granted bail and released from custody on April 28, 2017. Kanu was a key player in the insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria after evading justice and jumping bail, which led to a low-intensity conflict in early 2021 as the Nigerian security services tried to suppress IPOB's armed wing, the Eastern Security Network. Kanu insisted that despite the fighting, IPOB was committed to finding a peaceful settlement and attaining Biafran independence without hurt or violence. He was detained by Interpol in June 2021 and turned over to Nigeria
Early years
Kanu was born in Isiama Afara on September 25, 1967. Several months after the Republic of Biafra's declaration of independence from Nigeria, Ukwu, Umuahia, and Abia State were located within the disputed region. His mother, Ugoeze Nnenne Kanu, and father, Eze Israel Okwu Kanu (JP), were both traditional rulers of Nigeria.[1] He attended Library Avenue Primary School and completed his secondary school at Government College Umuahia. Before finishing his studies at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, he relocated to the UK.
Early Advocacy
When Ralph Uwazuruike, the head of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), announced on June 12, 2014, in a meeting in Kaduna, Nigeria, that he had handed over Radio Biafra, Kanu began his activism for the liberation of Biafra. Nnamdi Kanu, the head of IPOB, let him down when he promised Biafra. However, Radio Biafra was started in 1967 by the defunct Biafran government with the intention of promoting the Biafran cause. Before launching Radio Biafra in 2009, which argued for the creation of an independent Igbo state and aired to Nigeria from London, Kanu was a relatively unknown person.He started IPOB in 2014. Nnamdi Kanu delivered a speech as a guest speaker at the World Igbo Congress on September 5, 2015, in Los Angeles. He informed the gathering, "We need guns and we need bullets."
Imprisonment Arrest
Kanu was reportedly detained by Nigeria's secret police, the Department of State, in Lagos State on October 18, 2015.DSS services. The State Security Service (SSS) of the Federal Government of Nigeria detained Kanu at his hotel room at the Golden Tulip Essential Hotel Ikeja in Lagos State on October 14, 2015, according to information he provided to his attorneys. In a press conference, the lawyers stated that between October 14 and October 17, 2015, they were unsure of their client's whereabouts. It wasn't until October 18, 2015, however, that news of his arrest and custody by the SSS in Abuja leaked. Protests broke out in Delta State, Enugu State, Rivers State, Cross River State, Abia State, Imo State, Akwa Ibom State, Bayelsa State, and Anambra State in response to the news of Kanu's detention.
Detention
It was announced that Nnamdi Kanu has been arrested on 19 October 2015, following a covert arraignment before Magistrate Court, Wuse 11, bail The bail looked "controversial," though, and it was allegedly disclosed by the DSS merely "to calm the angry people of Biafra."
Court Authority
On November 18, 2015, the Abuja Magistrate Court 1 ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to present Kanu in court on November 23, 2015. A "secret court order to detain Nnamdi Kanu," according to reports, was obtained by the Department of State Services (DSS). Vincent Obetta, Kanu's attorney, claimed in an interview that the prosecutor handed him a paper in court that contained a court order allowing the Department of State Services (DSS) to hold Kanu for the following three months in order to "conclude what they claimed was an investigation." of finance for terrorism and terrorism"
Court Case
On November 23, 2015, Kanu was ultimately charged by the Department of State Services (DSS) of Nigeria with "criminal conspiracy, intimidation, and membership of an illegal organization" in an Abuja Magistrate Court for the first time. The accusations are against "Sections 97, 97B, and 397" of the Nigerian penal code. At the most recent postponed date, Chief Magistrate S. Usman chastised the Department of State Services (DSS) for failing to appear Kanu in court the two times the matter was scheduled to be heard by the court. In the meantime, Kanu's fans invaded Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, in opulent buses in a show of support for their leader who was appearing before the Wuse Zone 2 Magistrate Court on behalf of the Federal Government.
On November 23, 2015, in Abuja. While the hearing was taking place, pro-Biafra demonstrators outside the courthouse sang and danced. Inscriptions like as "On Biafra We Stand," "Buhari Release Kanu For Us," and "Biafra Now or Never" were displayed on the T-shirts and caps worn by protesters. More IPOB demonstrations, totaling over 15,000, slowed down traffic in the crucial economic hub of Onitsha, in the southeast. On the same day, there were more than 20,000 demonstrators in Aba, Abia State.
Through his attorney, Kanu submitted an application requesting that the Department of State Services (DSS) remove him from their care and place him in prison. His attorney, Obetta, maintained that incarcerating his client would give him easy access to his defense team.
Whilst The administration of criminal justice act of 2015's section 108(1) was used in court, and the Department of State Services (DSS) asked the Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates' Court to end Nnamdi Kanu's trial. Idakwo added that the Federal High Court of Abuja had issued an order dated November 10 ordering the Department of State Services (DSS) to hold the accused in its custody for 90 days. However, Kanu's attorney Obetta opposed to his client's extended imprisonment. Because the prosecution failed to provide any information from the Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who had the authority to approve such, Obetta pleaded with the court not to dismiss the case. The court was also informed by Obetta that "the DSS breached the court's decision which granted bail that was finalised but not granted, noting that the defendant had been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) ever since his arrest. Usman Shuaibu, the court's magistrate, heard arguments from both attorneys before adjourning the case until 1 December 2015 for a decision.
Release from prison and disappearance
Vanguard reported that Kanu has been freed on bail on October 20, 2015. However, media outlets that support IPOB's goals referred to the bail as "controversial" and said the DSS merely made the announcement in order to "calm the angry people of Biafra." Justice Binta Nyako has finally granted Kanu's request for a bail release due to his health.
Kanu vanished from view when the Nigerian military attacked his residence in September 2017 which resulted in the deaths of 28 members of IPOB. Since he had not been seen in public for more than a year, there was much conjecture about his location, with IPOB members accusing the Buhari administration of kidnapping him. However, unattributed images and videos that purportedly showed him in Israel were extensively shared on social media in October 2018 and this was later confirmed by mainstream media.
Despite his reappearance, his precise location and residence remained a mystery for the next years.
Persistent Activism
In a June 2017 interview, Kanu demanded firearms and ammunition from a group of Nigerians living in the US in order to defend themselves from the Fulani herdsmen's ongoing atrocities on Igbos in Biafra territory.
Civil disobedience has been used by Kanu to advance his political agenda. home his call for his people's liberty. Nnamdi Kanu said in a number of air broadcasts that he would bring about the "restoration of Biafra" by adopting the civil disobedience strategies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. In a Newsweek interview, Nnamdi Kanu expressed his admiration for Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., saying, "I hope that what we are aiming for may be realized peacefully. Passive resistance is something I support. Why shouldn't it work in our situation? Gandhi and Martin Luther King attempted it, and the results were very positive.
The 2019 presidential election had been threatened with a boycott by IPOB. Nnamdi Kanu, the founder and head of IPOB, stated that "it [the boycott] is a On the eve of the election, Nnamdi Kanu lifted the boycott position and urged Biafrans to participate, describing his condition as "signed, sealed, and delivered."[44] His shift was widely criticized by local Nigerian politicians who argued to the contrary.