How Nnamdi Kanu was arrested by Interpol while seeking support for Biafra
The International Criminal Police detained Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, when he was seeking foreign backing for the establishment of the Republic of Biafra.
Kanu, who possesses both Nigerian and British passports, was captured by security officials outside his London base on Sunday, according to our sources.
He had been on the Federal Government’s wanted list since 2017, when he fled bail after soldiers invaded his country house in Abia State.
Kanu was arrested while leaving Israel for an unknown place, according to a source, but this could not be independently verified on Tuesday.
“The request for Kanu’s arrest was made to the INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, roughly two months ago,” the source said. Kanu could not be detained in London since he is a British citizen, and repatriating him to Nigeria could be difficult and time-consuming.
“As a result, security agencies waited patiently for him to depart British soil before acting; he was apprehended while in transit. His interactions with other countries to urge support for Biafra were documented.”
The source also mentioned President Muhammadu Buhari’s (retd.) suspension of Twitter, which he justified by claiming that Kanu used his 300,000-follower Twitter account “to direct his sympathizers to kill Nigerian soldiers and police personnel.”
Kanu was apprehended while on the move, according to another source, although he could not confirm the particular location.
“The Nigerian government utilized traditional diplomatic channels to help Kanu be apprehended by INTERPOL. Our intelligence agencies may have also played a role in the arrest and extradition process, according to certain reports. “It was established that Kanu was picked up while on transit, but the location could not be confirmed right away,” the source said.
The President was said to have met with French President Emmanuel Macron in May during a summit on the financing of African post-COVID economies convened by the French government, where he sought Macron’s and INTERPOL’s support for the arrest of Kanu as part of his strategy to apprehend the separatist group leader.
