Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on Thursday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he was abducted and not arrested by Nigerian security operatives, in what he described as a forceful rendition from Kenya in 2021.
Kanu made the claim during a dramatic session of cross-examination as his trial resumed on May 8, 2025, before Justice Omotosho.
The court is hearing terrorism-related charges filed against him by the Federal Government.
Looking composed and surrounded by his legal team led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), alongside Aloy Ejimakor, Emeka Etiaba, and other senior lawyers, Kanu maintained that he did not return to Nigeria voluntarily but was forcibly brought back.
“I wasn’t arrested, I was kidnapped,” Kanu declared while responding to questions from counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), which is prosecuting the case.
The proceedings featured the playing of video recordings and examination of documents said to contain inflammatory statements and broadcasts allegedly made by Kanu.
The prosecution also sought to link him to acts of violence, destruction of public infrastructure, and the formation of the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
But the IPOB leader refuted all claims of violence, insisting that the ESN was established solely to defend rural communities from criminal herdsmen and other security threats.
“They are in the bush protecting our mothers when they go to farms,” he said. “I formed ESN to protect our people where the government failed.”
Kanu also denied involvement in attacks on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices or the killing of political figures, including the assassination of former presidential aide, Ahmed Gulak.
“The movement I lead is not violent,” he stated firmly. “In a democracy, people have the right to protest. I never ordered anyone to kill.”
Justice Omotosho adjourned the case to May 14, 21, and 22 for continuation of cross-examination and further witness testimonies.
Kanu is facing multiple charges bordering on terrorism, incitement, and belonging to an unlawful group. He was first arrested in 2015, jumped bail in 2017, and was rearrested—or, as he claims, abducted—in 2021.
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