The Kenyan High Court declares that Nnamdi Kanu's Arrest to Nigeria was illegal.

The judge decided that the June 2021 rendition of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader was a serious violation of his fundamental rights. In a 13-page judgment delivered on June 24, 2025, Justice Mwita held that the actions of both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments amounted to gross violations of Kanu’s fundamental human rights as protected by their respective constitutions. 

In addition, the court awarded Kanu 10 million Kenyan shillings as compensatory damages against the Kenyan government for its part in the illegal kidnapping and rendition. Justice Mwita stated, "Having considered the parties' pleadings and arguments, the relied-on decisions, the Constitution, and the law, I come to the following conclusions: 

First, the government of Kenya violated the Constitution  and  freedoms rights of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. “Because he had entered Kenya lawfully, the government of Kenya had an obligation to uphold and protect his rights and fundamental freedoms. 

He was entitled to the protection afforded by the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. However, Mazi Nnamdi was taken, held in isolation, tortured, and denied access to food and medicine, all of which violated his fundamental rights. 

He was chained, humiliated, ridiculed, and held in contempt, and later forcibly removed from Kenya without following the law, in violation of his rights and fundamental freedoms, for which the government of Kenya is liable. 

The court makes the following declarations and orders it considers appropriate on the basis of the aforementioned conclusions: A declaration is hereby issued that the abduction of Mr. Nwannekaenvi Nnamdi Kenny Okwu Kanu; holding him in incommunicado confinement, torturing him, and denying him food, water, medication, and other basic necessities was a violation of his rights and fundamental freedoms. 

A declaration is made that the forcible removal and subsequent abduction of Mr. Nwannekaenvi Nnamdi Kenny Okwu-Kanu's journey from Kenya to Nigeria was against Kenyan law, and as a result, his rights and fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of movement and personal safety, as outlined in the 2010 Kenyan Constitution, were violated. 

An order for compensation is hereby issued awarding Mazi, Nwannekaenvi Nnamdi Kenny Okwu-Kanu  On behalf of the Kenyan government   sought general damages of Kshs 10,000,000 (119,546,576.79)  against the Attorney General of Kenya for the violation of Mr. Nwannekaenvi Nnamdi Kenny Okwu-Kanu’s constitutional rights and fundamental freedoms.

Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has lauded the judgment as a landmark victory, saying it vindicated the group’s long-standing position since what it described as the sham and farcical trial of its leader in Nigeria. A statement signed by the IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, read, “The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wish to formally announce a resounding judicial earthquake that has shaken the legal foundations of the fraudulent rendition of our leader, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The High Court of Kenya, sitting in Nairobi, found that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu's abduction, incommunicado detention, torture, and illegal transfer from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021 were unlawful, unconstitutional, and a gross violation of his fundamental human rights under Kenyan and international law,” in a historic, courageous, and landmark judgment delivered on June 24, 2025. 

This judgment supports our consistent position that what took place in Nairobi in June 2021 was not extradition but extraordinary rendition: a criminal act of state-sponsored international terrorism involving the highest officials of the Nigerian and Kenyan governments.

We are grateful beyond measure to the brilliant legal leadership of Professor P.L.O. Lumumba, lead counsel in the Kenyan litigation, whose courage, clarity, and tenacity led to this monumental legal victory. 

IPOB also extends heartfelt appreciation to the Kenyan judiciary, especially Hon. Justice E.C. Mwita, who stood tall against ferocious political interference and international diplomatic pressure to deliver a fearless judgement grounded in law, morality, and constitutional justice.

We know, and now the world must acknowledge, that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu did not commit any crime in Kenya. He legally entered Kenya as a British citizen. He was kidnapped at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in broad daylight by Nigerian secret police agents working with rogue Kenyan security forces. “He was chained, tortured, denied medication, and eventually bundled onto a private jet and flown illegally to Abuja without any extradition hearing or judicial warrant. 

The records of former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, as well as their associates, are permanently and indelibly tarnished by this verdict. "It also reveals the illegal lobbying efforts made by Nigerian leaders like Buhari, Osinbajo, Tinubu, and Shettima, who tried and failed to get the Kenyan judiciary to cover up this extraordinary rendition that has been condemned internationally.

Let it be known that this is not the end. A global campaign for accountability begins here. “All those responsible in Kenya, Nigeria, or elsewhere shall be pursued to the ends of the earth under the universal principle of accountability for crimes against humanity. “Neither British diplomatic complicity nor cowardly silence from Western powers will shield the perpetrators from the legal, diplomatic, and moral reckoning that is coming.”

To Justice E.C. Mwita, we say thank you for your judicial bravery. To P.L.O. Professor Lumumba and his team, we salute your exceptional advocacy. “To the oppressed peoples of the world, this is your victory, a warning to tyrants that international borders will no longer shield criminal regimes from justice,” he said.