British High Commission Speaks On How Nnamdi Kanu Was Arrested

British High Commission has spoken on how Nnamdi Kanu was arrested.

Newsone Nigeria had reported earlier that the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has been arrested.

This online news platform understands that hours after Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest was made known, the British High Commission has spoken on the arrest of the IPOB leader.

A spokesperson of the British High Commission, Dean Hurlock, told TheCable that while they can confirm Kanu’s arrest, he was not picked up in the UK where he is based.

Newsone reports that the IPOB leader, who is also a UK citizen, had been in the UK since 2017 when he fled Nigeria.

The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, had told journalists on Tuesday, June 29, that he was picked up on Sunday due to “the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and security services”.

Newsone reports that AGF Malami did not say where exactly Nnamdi Kanu was arrested, but Hurlock told TheCable when contacted that it was outside of the UK.

British High Commission on Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest

“We can confirm that Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested in the UK for extradition purposes,” he said via text message.

Nnamdi Kanu was first arrested on October 14, 2015, following years of his campaign for the sovereign state of Biafra.

The IPOB leader was granted bail in April 2017 but fled Nigeria in 2017 after soldiers invaded his residence in Abia state during a military clampdown on IPOB members.

This online news platform understands that it has been difficult for the Nigerian government under President Buhari to re-arrest Nnamdi Kanu since then due in part to his UK citizenship.

Newsone reports that Nnamdi Kanu while in the UK, set up a militant arm of IPOB whose aim, according to Emma Powerful, IPOB spokesman, is to “halt every criminal activity and terrorist attack on Biafraland.”

However, the emergence of the security outfit coincided with a spike in violent attacks in the south-east, with security agents mostly targeted.