ABUJA, Nigeria – Mediaage NG News – A Supreme Court in Abuja, has ruled that Nnamdi Kanu be kept in prison, overturning a 2022 judgment by a lower court that ordered his release.
The court also ruled that the separatist leader’s terrorism trial at a lower federal court should continue.
He will remain under the custody of the Nigerian secret police (DSS) as the government sets a date for the continuation of his trial.
He is the leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) group, which has been campaigning for the creation of an independent state in south-eastern Nigeria.
Mr Kanu was originally arrested in 2015 on treason and terrorism charges, which he denied. Mr Kano then fled Nigeria while out on bail.
In 2021 Mr Kanu, who holds a UK passport, was extradited back to Nigeria from Kenya to face terrorism charges. He has been in custody since then.
In October last year, an appeal court ordered his release, citing legal irregularities in his extradition. However, the Nigerian government fought the release, arguing that the separatist leader posed a flight and security threat.
The Nigerian authorities have linked Ipob to numerous attacks on police stations and other government buildings in south-east Nigeria. The group denies any involvement.