Nnamdi Kanu’s family accuses Britain of aiding Nigeria in his unlawful rendition

The family of the detained Biafra nation agitator, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has accused the United Kingdom of aiding Nigeria in the rendition of their son, Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria.

Specifically, the family took swipe at the British Government for continually refusing to challenge the prosecution of Kanu in Nigeria on the ground that there is no justification for such trial.

In a statement on Sunday by the family’s Spokesman, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the family said the action, especially silence of the United Kingdom in the ordeal of Kanu was painful because the detainee is a lawful British citizen.

Apparently angry with the development, the family challenged Britain to publicly accept responsibility for her complicity in the illegal rendition of Kanu.

The family also asked Britain to demand Kanu’s immediate return to either Kenya or the United Kingdom and to cease all diplomatic and legal support that sustains trial in Nigeria.

Besides, the family demands that the United kingdom should initiate a parliamentary inquiry into the roles played by the British High Commissions in Nairobi and Abuja in the rendition of Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021.

The statement read in part “With hearts burdened by sorrow, we, the family of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, issue this solemn declaration to the world.

“We do so not only in defense of our beloved brother, father and uncle, but in defense of truth, justice, and the sacred memory of the over 5 million Biafrans slaughtered during Britain’s orchestrated genocide from 1967 to 1970.

“Today, the same British Government that armed Nigeria to starve Biafran children to death now stands accused of a far more cowardly crime, the silent orchestration and diplomatic shielding of an illegal rendition, torture, and political show trial of a British citizen for exercising freedoms guaranteed under British law.

“Let the world take note: Were Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to die in the custody of the Nigerian government, it would be to the eternal shame and blood-drenched legacy of the United Kingdom.

“In June 2021, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a lawful British citizen and leader of a peaceful self-determination movement, IPOB, registered under UK law, was abducted in Nairobi, Kenya, subjected to extraordinary rendition without due process and illegally transferred to Nigeria by operatives whose trail the British authorities have deliberately ignored.

“This transnational crime was carried out in clear violation of Kenyan and international law. Yet Britain said nothing. Worse still, their silence gave Nigeria the license to act with impunity.

“Why was the British High Commission in Nairobi inactive while a British citizen was drugged, tortured, and flown out in chains?

“Why was the UK Foreign Office complicit in turning a blind eye to this abduction that violated every known treaty obligation under international human rights and consular law?

“The answer is now painfully clear: Britain was not merely a bystander. Britain was a co-conspirator.

“Following his illegal rendition, the UK Government pretended to be engaged. British Consular officials visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in DSS custody in Abuja.

“He asked one simple question:“Why is the United Kingdom allowing a British citizen to be tried for broadcasts made in the UK, where both IPOB and Radio Biafra are lawful entities?”

“The response was both evasive and insidious:
“We’ll get back to you.” But they never did.

“Instead, within four days of that meeting, Nigeria’s then Attorney General, Abubakar Malami quietly amended the charges against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, removing ‘London, United Kingdom’ as the location of the alleged offences.

“The only logical inference is that the British authorities either advised Nigeria to do this or consented to a cover-up to evade the UK’s own jurisdictional responsibilities.

“Despite IPOB’s legal status in the UK and the total absence of any UK court order outlawing its activities, the British Government has continually refused to challenge the unlawful prosecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Nigeria.

“Why? Because they know what every international legal scholar knows:

“That the alleged offences occurred outside Nigerian territory; That the primary jurisdiction lies in the UK, not Nigeria; That the rendition violated the UK’s own Extradition Act, the Commonwealth Mutual Assistance Treaty, and all norms of international law.

“Yet, when the question was asked of the British Foreign Office—Why won’t you demand that your own citizen be returned to either the UK or Kenya, where he was abducted?—they offered the most cowardly response imaginable:”We cannot interfere in a Nigerian trial.”

“This is not just false. It is a betrayal. The UK Government has, in fact, interfered constantly by suppressing evidence, shielding Nigerian impunity, and erasing its own culpability from the chain of events that led to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s ongoing ordeal.