Nigeria: Court Quashes Terrorism Charges Against Separatist Leader

Facts

• In a unanimous decision, Nigeria's Court of Appeal on Thursday threw out terrorism charges brought by the federal government against separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu.
• The judges dismissed the seven terrorism charges against Kanu and discharged him, saying that a lower court had no jurisdiction to try the case due to the illegality of his extraction from Kenya. It ruled that Kanu's 2021 abduction from Kenya to Nigeria breached extradition protocols and constituted a violation of Kanu's basic human rights.
• Kanu leads the separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which advocates the secession of parts of southeastern Nigeria where the majority of the population is from the Igbo ethnic group. Nigerian authorities have designated IPOB as a terrorist group.
• Kanu fled Nigeria in Sep. 2017 while on bail. He rejected allegations of terrorism and disseminating false information, stemming from social media posts in 2018 and 2021.
• In 2019, the Federal High Court issued a warrant for Kanu's arrest and ordered that he be prosecuted for charges of a treasonable felony in his absence. However, the case did not proceed until his return and terrorism charges - related to alleged broadcasts Kanu made while in Kenya - were not included until he returned to Nigeria.
• The Nigerian government has not released Kanu, despite the Court of Appeal's ruling. Instead, Abuja issued a statement saying that they will be exploring all legal options, including possibly bringing other charges against the separatist leader.

Sources: Reuters, Premium Times, and Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Sahara Reporters. The Court of Appeal's decision is a miscarriage of justice and the government should appeal it. Kanu, and the IPOB that he leads, are terrorists responsible for the deaths of countless innocent lives. Their release will not only jeopardize the conduct of the 2023 elections, it will send the wrong message to other violent and criminal gangs that they can act with impunity.
• Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. Destructive elements have indeed hijacked some of the IPOB’s causes. However, the Nigerian government is wrong to label the IPOB a terrorist organization and blame them for everything that has gone wrong in the region. Abuja should face the political issues underlying the conflict in the nation's southeast in good faith, rather than heightening tensions by prosecuting Kanu for treason and terrorism.