A High Court sitting in Nairobi, Kenya, has officially ruled that the controversial abduction and extraordinary rendition of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to Nigeria in 2021 was both illegal and unconstitutional.
The judgment, which was delivered on June 24, 2025, by Justice E.C. Mwita, declared that Kanu’s arrest, detention, and forced transfer violated several core provisions of both Kenyan constitutional law and international legal standards.
According to the court, the governments of Kenya and Nigeria were jointly culpable for infringing on Kanu’s fundamental human rights, including his rights to due process, personal liberty, security of person, and freedom of movement.
Justice Mwita emphasized that Kanu had lawfully entered Kenya as a British citizen and was residing in the country when he was abducted by unidentified agents, held in solitary confinement, tortured, and later flown out to Nigeria without being subjected to any form of lawful extradition or judicial process.
The judge described the treatment Kanu received as an outright violation of the Kenyan Constitution and the international norms governing arrest and deportation. As a consequence, the Kenyan government was ordered to pay Kanu a sum of Ksh10 million, equivalent to about ₦120 million in general damages.
Justice Mwita further noted that the Kenyan authorities failed in their legal duty of care by not protecting Kanu while he was on Kenyan soil. He was allegedly held incommunicado, denied access to basic necessities such as food, clean water, and medication, and endured inhumane and degrading treatment before being expelled from the country without any legal authorization or oversight.
The verdict has sparked renewed debate on international law, state sovereignty, and the rights of individuals under protection in foreign nations, especially in the context of politically sensitive extraditions or renditions without court orders.