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Nigeria Supreme Court blocks release of separatist leader Kanu

Nigeria Supreme Court blocks release of separatist leader Kanu

NIGERIA'S Supreme Court overturned a judgment by a lower court that dropped terrorism charges against separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, ruling that trial on the charges should continue. Kanu, a British citizen who leads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), disappeared from Nigeria after skipping bail in 2017. He was arrested in Kenya in 2021 and charged with terrorism. Friday's ruling by Judge Lawal Garba reinstating Kanu's seven-count terrorism trial at a lower federal court has effectively extended his detention, which began two years ago after his arrest. "Even though illegalities were committed with the deployment of brutal force to…
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Gunmen kill five Nigerian police officers in the southeast

Gunmen kill five Nigerian police officers in the southeast

GUNMEN killed five Nigerian police officers and two civilians during an attack in the southeastern Imo state on, a police spokesperson said, the latest incident in a state riven by gang and separatist violence. Armed groups have attacked police stations and government and electoral offices in states in the southeast, which the government often blames on the banned separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group. IPOB denies the charges. Imo police state spokesperson Henry Okoye confirmed the death of the officers and civilians but did not give details. Africa's most populous nation, Nigeria, is prone to widespread insecurity, with gun…
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Biafran separatist leader’s brother loses London court challenge against UK

Biafran separatist leader’s brother loses London court challenge against UK

JAILED Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu's family lost a legal challenge against the British government in a London court over his continuing detention in Nigeria. Kanu's brother, Kingsley Kanu, brought a judicial review against Britain's Foreign Office over its alleged refusal to acknowledge that Nnamdi Kanu, who holds Nigerian and British citizenship, was the victim of extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021. Kingsley Kanu's lawyers argued that the Foreign Office should reach a conclusive view on whether his brother was the victim of extraordinary rendition in order to properly assess what steps to take to assist Kanu.…
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Nigeria appeals court decision to free separatist leader Kanu

Nigeria appeals court decision to free separatist leader Kanu

THE Nigerian government has approached the Supreme Court to overturn a Court of Appeal ruling that freed separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu and dropped terrorism charges against him. Last week the appeal court ordered that Kanu be discharged, saying the government did not follow due process in his extradition to Nigeria from Kenya and that the federal court did not have jurisdiction to try the case. The government had been considering what steps to take after the appeal court ruling.  On Friday, government lawyers said the state had appealed to the Supreme Court, saying the appeal court did not consider the…
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Nigerian separatist leader faces terrorism charges

Nigerian separatist leader faces terrorism charges

CAMILLUS EBOH NIGERIA'S separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu should stand trial and answer to charges that include terrorism and broadcasting falsehoods, a High Court judge ruled. Kanu, a British citizen who leads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), denies all the charges, which are linked to broadcasts he made between 2018 and last year. A judge on Friday ruled that Kanu will stand trial on seven counts of terrorism out of 15, and stuck out eight of the charges which the government brought against the IPOB leader. The hearing was held in camera. A federal court judge ruled on Thursday…
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Nigerian‌ ‌court‌ ‌frees ‌alleged‌ ‌separatist‌ ‌

Nigerian‌ ‌court‌ ‌frees ‌alleged‌ ‌separatist‌ ‌

A Nigerian court has ordered the immediate release of a woman held in detention since February accused of being a member of a banned separatist organisation, her lawyer said. The court in Abuja ruled that the police had illegally detained Ngozi Umeadi and ordered it to pay her damages of 50 million naira ($121,500), lawyer Ejiofor Ifeanyi said. Nigerian authorities routinely detain people for months or years without charge. Umeadi was accused of being a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra, which campaigns for the southeastern region to secede. Nigerian authorities blame it for attacks on police stations and…
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Biafran separatist ask to be freed, to go to UK

Biafran separatist ask to be freed, to go to UK

THE detained leader of a separatist group in Nigeria has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was illegally transferred from Kenya to Nigeria and demanding he is freed and allowed to go to Britain, according to media reports citing legal documents. Nnamdi Kanu, who holds British citizenship, leads the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group which campaigns for part of southeastern Nigeria to secede and has been labelled a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian authorities. Kanu spent two years in jail in Nigeria but disappeared after he was freed on bail in April 2017. He was re-arrested in June this…
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Detained Biafra separatist’s family complain to UK over lack of assistance

Detained Biafra separatist’s family complain to UK over lack of assistance

THE family of Nnamdi Kanu, a secessionist leader and British citizen who is detained in Nigeria, has accused Britain of failing to provide him with consular assistance, the family's London lawyers said on Thursday. Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group that campaigns for part of southeastern Nigeria to secede, was brought back to Nigeria in June after years on the run abroad and is being held pending a treason trial. Bindmans, a London law firm, said it had sent a pre-action letter to British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on behalf of Kanu's family, challenging Britain's failure…
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Police chief, six bandits killed in clash in southeast Nigeria

Police chief, six bandits killed in clash in southeast Nigeria

A Nigerian local police chief and six bandits were shot dead during a clash in southeastern Imo State, police said, the latest incident in a multi-faceted insecurity crisis engulfing Africa's most populous nation. The clash took place when a large group of gunmen were spotted driving into the town of Omuma in a convoy of three vehicles. Police attacked them, resulting in seven deaths and in 11 arrests. The police gave no information about the bandits -- a term commonly used in Nigeria to describe a range of criminals such as armed robbers or kidnappers for ransom. Southeastern Nigeria, homeland…
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Nigeria fails to bring separatist to court

Nigeria fails to bring separatist to court

CAMILLUS EBOH and ABRAHAM ACHIRGA A Nigerian judge adjourned the treason trial of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu until October after the authorities failed to bring him to court, citing logistical problems. The military considers Kanu's Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which campaigns for secession in southeast Nigeria, a terrorist organization. Kanu was due in Federal High Court to face 11 charges, including treason. The case is one of two on Monday in which Nigerian authorities are seeking to prosecute citizens campaigning for autonomy in different regions of Africa's most populous nation. The cases underline the government's concern over growing discontent…
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