Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been ordered by Nigeria’s Supreme Court to remain in prison, overturning a previous 2022 ruling by a lower court that granted him release.
The Supreme Court’s decision also mandates the continuation of Kanu’s terrorism trial at a lower federal court.
Under the custody of Nigeria’s secret police, Kanu will await the government’s scheduling of his trial’s continuation.
Kanu heads the banned IPOB group, advocating for the establishment of an independent state in southeastern Nigeria.
Initially arrested in 2015 on charges of treason and terrorism, which he refuted, Kanu later absconded from Nigeria while on bail.
In 2021, despite holding a UK passport, Kanu was extradited from Kenya back to Nigeria.
Nigerian authorities have attributed numerous attacks on police stations and government structures in southeastern Nigeria to IPOB, an allegation the group vehemently denies.
