Kenyan High Court declares Nnamdi Kanu’s rendition to Nigeria illegal, unlawful

Justice E.C. Mwita of the High Court in Nairobi, Kenya, has declared the abduction, detention and subsequent rendition to Nigeria of the Biafra Nation agitator, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as illegal and unlawful.

The judge held that the rendition carried out in June 2021 was a gross violation of the fundamental rights of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

In a 13-page judgment delivered on June 24, 2025, Justice Mwita held that the actions of both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments amounted to gross violations of Kanu’s fundamental human rights as protected by their respective constitutions.

The court also awarded Kanu 10 million Kenyan shillings in compensatory damages against the Kenyan government for its role in the unlawful abduction and rendition.

Justice Mwita said, “Having considered the pleadings and arguments by parties, the decisions relied on, the Constitution and the law, I come to the following conclusions:

“First, the government of Kenya violated the Constitution and Mr. Nnamdi Kanu’s rights and fundamental freedoms.

“Having entered Kenya lawfully, he was subject to the protection offered by the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, and the government of Kenya had an obligation to uphold and protect his rights and fundamental freedoms.

“Mr. Nnamdi was, however, abducted, kept in solitary confinement, tortured, and denied food and medication — a breach of basic rights.

“He was chained, humiliated, ridiculed, and held in contempt, and later forcibly removed from Kenya without following the law, in violation of his rights and fundamental freedoms, for which the government of Kenya is liable.

“Based on the above conclusions, the court makes the following declarations and orders it considers appropriate: A declaration is hereby issued that the abduction of Mr. Nwannekaenvi Nnamdi Kenny Okwu Kanu; holding him in incommunicado confinement, torturing him, and denying him food, water, medication, and other basic necessities was a violation of his rights and fundamental freedoms.

“A declaration is hereby issued that the abduction and subsequent forcible removal of Mr. Nwannekaenvi Nnamdi Kenny Okwu-Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria was in violation of the laws of Kenya; his rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of movement and security of the person guaranteed by the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, and, therefore, unconstitutional and illegal.

“An order for compensation is hereby issued awarding Mr. Nwannekaenvi Nnamdi Kenny Okwu-Kanu general damages of Kshs 10,000,000 (₦119,546,576.79) against the Attorney General of Kenya on behalf of the government of Kenya for the violation of Mr. Nwannekaenvi Nnamdi Kenny Okwu-Kanu’s constitutional rights and fundamental freedoms.”

Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has lauded the judgment as a landmark victory, saying it vindicated the group’s long-standing position since what it described as the sham and farcical trial of its leader in Nigeria.

A statement signed by the IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, read, “The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wish to formally announce a resounding judicial earthquake that has shaken the legal foundations of the fraudulent rendition of our leader, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

“In a historic, courageous, and landmark judgement delivered on June 24, 2025, the High Court of Kenya, sitting in Nairobi, found that the abduction, incommunicado detention, torture, and illegal transfer of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021 was unlawful, unconstitutional, and a gross violation of his fundamental human rights under Kenyan and international law.

“This judgement vindicates our consistent position that what transpired in Nairobi in June 2021 was not extradition but extraordinary rendition: a criminal act of state-sponsored international terrorism involving the highest authorities of the Nigerian and Kenyan governments.

“We are grateful beyond measure to the brilliant legal leadership of Professor P.L.O. Lumumba, lead counsel in the Kenyan litigation, whose courage, clarity, and tenacity led to this monumental legal victory.

“IPOB also extends heartfelt appreciation to the Kenyan judiciary, especially Hon. Justice E.C. Mwita, who stood tall against ferocious political interference and international diplomatic pressure to deliver a fearless judgement grounded in law, morality, and constitutional justice.

“We know, and now the world must acknowledge, that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu did not commit any crime in Kenya. He entered Kenya lawfully as a British citizen.

“He was abducted in broad daylight at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by agents of Nigeria’s secret police in collusion with rogue elements of the Kenyan security apparatus.

“He was chained, tortured, denied medication, and eventually bundled onto a private jet and flown illegally to Abuja without any extradition hearing or judicial warrant.

“This verdict places a permanent and indelible legal stain on the records of former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, and their accomplices.

“It also exposes the criminal lobbying missions embarked upon by Nigerian leaders from Buhari, Osinbajo, to Tinubu and Shettima, all of whom tried and failed to manipulate Kenya’s judiciary to cover up this internationally condemned act of extraordinary rendition.

“Let it be known that this is not the end. This is the beginning of a global accountability campaign.

“All those responsible in Kenya, Nigeria, or elsewhere shall be pursued to the ends of the earth under the universal principle of accountability for crimes against humanity.

“Neither British diplomatic complicity nor cowardly silence from Western powers will shield the perpetrators from the legal, diplomatic, and moral reckoning that is coming.”

“To Justice E.C. Mwita, we say thank you for your judicial bravery. To Professor P.L.O. Lumumba and his team, we salute your exceptional advocacy.

“To the oppressed peoples of the world, this is your victory, a warning to tyrants that international borders will no longer shield criminal regimes from justice,” he said.