By Gbenga Adedayo
The United Kingdom (UK) has said it has no hand in the arrest and extradition of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“We can confirm that Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested in the UK for extradition purposes,’’ a British High Commission spokesperson told the BBC.
There has been speculation that he might have been arrested in the UK, where it is believed he was mainly based.
Nnamdi Kanu who is a dual British and Nigerian citizen, created IPOB after he initially gained fame from his broadcasts on Radio Biafra, which was established in 2009.
He faces treason-related charges in Nigeria, but fled the country in 2017 while on bail.
Nnamdi Kanu, who leads a banned group seeking a breakaway state in south-eastern Nigeria, where the ethnic Igbo people form the majority, was detained on Sunday with the help of Interpol and flown back to Nigeria, according to the attorney general.
He is currently in the custody of Nigeria’s secret police after a brief court appearance on Tuesday. His trial is expected to resume on 26 July.
The 53-year-old came to prominence in 2009 when he started Radio Biafra and broadcast to Nigeria from London, using the platform to call for Biafran independence and urging his followers to take up arms against the Nigerian state.
Five years later, he founded IPOB, which has since been labelled a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian authorities.
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