Kenya’s court defence confirm a lack of extradition proceedings
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Kenya, whose Ambassador to Nigeria denied in July the country’s involvement in the kidnap of Nnamdi Kanu, has confirmed that he did not undergo extradition process before Muhammadu Buhari ordered his abduction from Nairobi on June 27.
“I want to address this allegation by denying that Kenya was involved in the alleged arrest in extradition to Nigeria of Mr. Kanu.
“To us therefore, these allegations are fictional, imaginary and deliberately concocted to fuel antagonistic feelings among certain section of the Nigerian people,” Wilfred Machage told reporters in Abuja on July 2.
His statement was confirmed in Nairobi on November 2 when the Kenyan government filed its defence to the lawsuit filed on behalf of Kanu by his brother, Kingsley.
“Following my brother’s extraordinary rendition in June this year, the Kenyan government had publicly issued [a] series of statements, denying its complicity in this abominable act.
“In the said defence that it filed in court, Kenya has not only persisted in its denials, but it went further to confirm that my brother was denied the benefit of the due process of extradition in Kenya or even a lawful arrest,” Kingsley said in a statement.
“The defence the Kenyan government filed in court stated in major part ‘That there are no extradition proceedings to justify that the government of Kenya is responsible for the subject’s extradition.’
“That there is no OB record from any of the police station[s] within the country to indicate that the subject in issue was lawfully arrested and detained for purposes of commencing extradition proceedings.”
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Kingsley “emphasised that [the] above admissions have officially confirmed our long-held position that Nnamdi Kanu’s transfer from Kenya to Nigeria is unlawful, [it is] not lawful as was claimed by the Nigerian government.
“This latest revelation, officially made in open court by Kenya, further solidifies our abiding position that the Nigerian government cannot benefit from its own wrong by subjecting my brother to trial.
“As the next hearing date unfolds to 7th December 2021, more legal processes will be in view. Our immediate goal is to secure the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu from detention.”
UK, UN take interest in Kanu’s case
On Buhari’s orders, Nigerian security agents broke international law when they kidnapped Kanu in Nairobi on June 27 and brought him to Abuja where he has since been detained to continue his court trial for alleged treason.
Kanu, leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), is being held by the Department of State Services (DSS) for advocating a separate country for the Igbos because of their mistreatment in Nigeria.
The British consul in Nigeria attended the hearing on October 21 when he was rearraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja. But more than 100 lawyers who showed up for him were not allowed into the court premises.
Kanu pleaded not guilty to the amended charges of alleged treason and the case was adjourned to November 10 for hearing.
News broke on October 26 that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Special Procedure) is investigating the abduction of Kanu from Kenya.
Correspondence between Abuja and the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva show that the gestapo operation against Kanu is now a subject of investigation at the highest level of human rights enforcement at the UN.
Nigeria’s Permanent Mission acknowledged receipt of a query on September 17 addressed to Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama. He was asked to answer questions on the forced disappearance and arbitrary detention and torture of Kanu.
Nigeria’s Permanent Mission at the UN said the letter has been forwarded to Abuja for Onyeama to respond to it personally.
