A lawyer says Nigeria is both the “terrorist” and “prosecutor” in the criminal case involving IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu. Christopher Chidera made the allegation in a petition to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the International Bar Association (IBA), submitted by the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Global Legal Consortium.
Chidera argues that earlier findings by Nigeria’s Supreme Court and a Kenyan court establish that Nigerian agents kidnapped and forcibly removed Kanu from Kenya, describing the conduct as unlawful and an “extraordinary rendition.” He says the Supreme Court’s decision to continue Kanu’s trial—after a discharge and acquittal by the Court of Appeal—contradicts its own findings. He also cites Kenya’s Penal Code definition of kidnapping and notes that Kenyan courts reportedly declared the abduction and confinement unlawful due to the absence of extradition proceedings.
The petition frames these actions as terrorism under Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and links them to violations of an African human rights charter Nigeria has domesticated. Chidera further claims the Supreme Court’s remittal decision contains “six fundamental legal errors,” which he says affected the subsequent trial and conviction. He says authorities have not clarified the legal basis for restored counts in the charge against Kanu.
