A Nigerian court rejected a request on Friday to free a separatist leader and ruled that public prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence for him to face the fight against terrorism.
The court ruled that the Nigerian government provided sufficient evidence for a case against NNAMDi Kanu, leader of the forbidden indigenous people of Biafra, or iPob, separatist group who is looking for independence for the southeastern region of Nigeria.
The verdict comes more than a year after the Supreme Court of the Land Terrorism had restored against Kanu. In the lower court, Kanu argued that the government had no case against him.
Kanu, who owns British citizenship, has been in and out of detention since 2015, when he was first arrested and accused of terrorism and betrayal. He jumped on bail in 2017 and was again arrested in 2021 after he was lured to another African country by Nigerian intelligence staff.
Kanu has denied every misconduct and accuses its supporters of the government of wrongly directing him to suppress the group's separatist campaign.
The iPob campaign for an independent state of Biafra follows the short-lived Republic of Biafra, who fought a civil war from 1967 to 1970 and lost to breaking from Nigeria. An estimated 1 million people died in the war, many from the southeast.
During the procedure, James Omotosho said: “The suspect should introduce an explanation.”
“This does not mean that the suspect is guilty as accused, but an opportunity to give him a fair hearing and allow him to explain his chances to explain himself,” the judge said. “This no-case entry is canceled and the defendant must take into account his defense.”
Many people were killed in the southeast of Nigeria in violence the blame for iPob, who denies the group.
About four weeks ago, Simon Ekpa, another separatist leader who came to the fore after Kanu's detention, was sentenced to six years in prison for terrorism and tax fraud in Finland.
