A Nigerian court on Friday refused to release separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, ruling that prosecutors had provided enough evidence to proceed with his trial on terrorism and treason charges. Kanu, who heads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has faced repeated arrests since 2015. He denies the charges, insisting that the case against him is politically motivated. Supporters say his detention is part of a broader effort to silence calls for an independent Biafra in Nigeria’s southeast, home mainly to the Igbo ethnic group.
Friday’s ruling comes a year after the Supreme Court reinstated terrorism charges against him. His legal team expressed frustration, saying Kanu is unwell and being denied proper medical care. “Our client remains ill and detained. We are deeply disappointed,” said his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor. The case has also drawn political voices. Lawmaker Obi Aguocha, present in court, criticized what he described as double standards in Nigeria’s justice system“There are two sets of rules one for the Igbos and another for every other Nigerian. This is a moment for the country to consider a political solution.”
The IPOB’s push for independence echoes the failed Biafran secessionist movement that sparked a brutal civil war between 1967 and 1970, leaving an estimated one million people dead, mostly from starvation in the southeast. Meanwhile, divisions within the separatist movement have grown. Last month, Simon Ekpa — a Kanu ally who assumed leadership roles after his detention was sentenced to six years in prison in Finland for terrorism and tax fraud. Despite the setbacks, many Igbo activists say the Biafra question remains unresolved, fueling tension and sporadic violence in the southeast, which authorities often blame on IPOB but the group denies.
