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The fugitive leader of a large secessionist group in Biafra has been arrested and extradited to Nigeria for trial, which risks fueling separatist unrest in south-eastern Nigeria.
Nnamdi Kanu, a British national who has lived in south London, had been wanted by Nigerian authorities since 2015, when he was charged with offenses and inciting terrorism, after broadcasts on Radio Biafra, a digital station which he founded and managed from his home in Peckham.
Nigeria’s Attorney General Abubakar Malami said on Tuesday that Kanu had been extradited to the capital Abuja after cooperation between Nigerian intelligence services and Interpol.
“He was brought back to Nigeria to continue to stand trial after he went missing while on bail,” said Malami. He accused Kanu of “engaging in subversive activities” and also alleged that Kanu was responsible for armed attacks.
Malami did not say where Kanu was extradited from, although UK government officials said he had not been arrested in the UK. British MPs have in the past raised concerns over Kanu’s welfare while in detention in Nigeria.
A lawyer for Kanu confirmed the arrest. “He was brought before the Federal High Court (…) today on 11 charges, but without our knowledge,” Ifeanyi Ejiofor said in a statement.
Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), a secessionist group that has been banned as a terrorist organization in Nigeria. In recent months, police have blamed Ipob for a spate of arson and killings targeting police units and civilian authorities in southern Nigeria.
Kano was first arrested in Nigeria in 2015 and released on medical bail in 2017 before fleeing the country.
Its importance in Nigeria has skyrocketed in recent years, as secessionist sentiment for an independent country of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria has increased markedly.
Secessionist sentiment was inflamed by the 2015 election of President Muhamadu Buhari, who served as brigade major during the Biafran civil war, one of the darkest chapters in Nigerian history in which an attempt to form an independent state of Biafra was repressed.
Millions of people in southeast Nigeria have died, many from hunger after a government blockade of the region cut off food supplies and humanitarian aid.
Earlier this month, Twitter deleted a post from Buhari for violating its abuse rules, after referring to the civil war as a threat against armed groups in Biafra.
“Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who have been through the war, will treat them in the language they understand,” the president said, drawing massive condemnation.
In retaliation for the deletion, the government soon after banned Twitter in Nigeria.
The legacy of war is still bitter. Authorities censor cultural representations of conflict and war is not taught in most schools.
Since 2015, secessionist protests have met with a brutal response from the Nigerian security forces. More than 150 people were killed in pro-Biafra rallies between August 2015 and August 2016, according to Amnesty International.
Security operations in southeastern Nigeria, a predominantly ethnically Igbo region, have received allegations of violations of civilians’ rights. Armed attacks blamed on pro-Biafran groups have increased this year.
Since fleeing Nigeria, Kanu has been seen in various countries, including Israel.
His fierce monologues on Radio Biafra, taunting President Buhari, targeting ethnic groups and calling for an armed uprising have drawn an international audience – and also the wrath of the Nigerian authorities.
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