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Kenya unaware of Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest – Official

Published

3 years ago

July 2, 2021

Kenya’s Director-General of Immigration Services, Alexander Muteshi, has dismissed the claims of the country’s complicity in the arrest and “extradition” of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to Nigeria..

Also, an Official in the Kenya Ministry of Interior said that the ministry is not aware of the “extradition” of Nnamdi Kanu to Nigeria.

The PUNCH had reported that the circumstances of Kanu’s arrest have been a subject of media speculation in Nigeria.

While some reports have named the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, and Israel as countries where Kanu may have been in recent times, the IPOB leader’s family claimed that he was re-arrested in Kenya.

But Kenyan government officials in separate interviews with Reuters and Kenya’s Nation newspaper debunked the family’s claim.

“A spokeswoman for the Kenyan interior ministry said it was not aware of the matter, while the foreign affairs ministry in Nairobi did not respond to a request for comment,” Reuters said in its report.

Also, Muteshi while dismissing the family’s claim told Kenya’s Nation that it was not possible to tell whether Mr Kanu had entered Kenyan territory.

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“I can’t know that,” Mr Muteshi said when asked whether the claims made by the family were true.

Kanu, who is facing an 11-count charge of treason, treasonable felony, terrorism and illegal possession of firearms, among others, jumped bail in 2017 and left the country.

He was re-arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday and ordered to be remanded in the custody of the DSS, while the case was adjourned till July 26 and July 27.

Biafra — a deprived region almost entirely populated by the Igbo people — was the site of a bloody civil war between 1967 and 1970.

The Federal Government says security and intelligence agencies were on the trail of Kanu for over two years before he was re-arrested.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who disclosed this at a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja, said Kanu was living “a five-star life across several countries.

The minister said Kanu’s re-arrest and repatriation was made possible through the collaboration of Nigerian security and intelligence agencies.

He described the re-arrest and repatriation as “one of the most classic operations of its type in the world’’.

Mohammed, however, did not comment on the speculations on how the re-arrest was pulled off and in which country the hitherto fugitive leader of the proscribed IPOB was nabbed.

“What we can tell you, once again, is that the re-arrest was made possible by the diligent efforts of our security and intelligence agencies, in collaboration with countries with which we have obligations.

“We will continue to respect and honour the obligations,’’ he said

Mohammed noted that the forensic investigation carried out so far had revealed a treasure trove of information on the proscribed IPOB leader and his collaborators.

“While the investigation continues, we assure you that none of the collaborators, irrespective of their standing in the society, will be spared.

“They will all face the full wrath of the law for their activities that challenge our nation’s sovereignty and threaten its unity.

“No one, no matter how highly placed, is bigger than the country,’’ he said.