Nigeria refuses to disclose details of re-arrest of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu

 Nigeria refuses to disclose details of re-arrest of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu Nnamdi Kanu The Nigerian government refused on Thursday to dis...

 Nigeria refuses to disclose details of re-arrest of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu

Nnamdi Kanu

The Nigerian government refused on Thursday to disclose any details on the re-arrest of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, amid mounting speculation over which other countries were involved in his capture after he went on the run four years ago.

Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, had escaped bail when his home residence was raided by Nigeria military while facing trial in 2017. Report had it that 28 of his followers were killed in his residence by Nigeria military, until he was brought to court in handcuffs in Abuja on Tuesday his whereabouts were not publicly known.

Address To The Biafran People By The Head Of Directorate Of State Of The Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB)

“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,” Information Minister Lai Mohammed told reporters.

“We continue to respect and honour the obligations,” he said, giving no further details.

Kanu’s brother has said he was in Kenya when he was abducted. 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.

The circumstances of Kanu’s arrest have been the subject of intense media speculation in Nigeria, where reports have named the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and Israel as countries where Kanu may have been in recent times.

IPOB has said Kanu was “abducted” and it would give details later. In the past, crackdowns on IPOB by the authorities have led to unrest. Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian authorities of killing hundreds of separatists, which it denies.

IPOB campaigns for the separation of old eastern region that tried in 1967 to break away from Nigeria under the name Republic of Biafra, triggering a three-year civil war in which more than a million people died, mostly from starvation.

Mohammed said Kanu was facing 11 charges including treason, terrorism and illegal possession of firearms. His case is due to resume in court on July 26-27.

Originally published by Reuters

Edited by Family Writers Press International.