UN Human Rights Commissioner seeks explanation on the legality or otherwise of the Nigerian government’s arrest and extradition of Nnamdi Kanu to the country
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Special Procedure) has launched an investigation into the ‘abduction’ of Nnamdi Kanu in Kenya.
Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous Peoples oF Biafra (IPOB). He was arrested in June and extradited to Nigeria from Kenya.
Nigeria’s security agents in league with their Kenyan counterpart intercepted and seized him in Kenya while on a trip to the East African country.
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The gestapo arrest has become a subject of investigation at the highest level of human rights enforcement in the United Nations – the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Special Procedures Branch).
Documents seen by TheNiche reveals exchanges of communication between the Nigerian government and the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva, Switzerland.
In one document, Nigeria’s Permanent Mission acknowledged the receipt of a query on September 17, addressed to Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs. He was asked to answer questions on the allegation of the forced disappearance and arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment of Nnamdi Kanu.
Nigeria’s Permanent Mission at the UN, in responding to the query, said that the letter has been forwarded to Abuja so that Onyeama would personally respond to the query.
The query to Nigeria is a fallout of a letter addressed to the UN Human Rights Commissioner by Nnamdi Kanu’s brother, Kinglsey Kanunta Kanu.
In a statement made available to TheNiche, he said: “Following the extraordinary rendition of my older brother, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I undertook a number of urgent steps within the realm of the international community, particularly in Britain and the United Nations. I worked quietly with my brother’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor and the Bindmans (my brother’s lawyers in Britain) on a host of muscular interventions aimed at presenting my brother’s case to the international community and facilitating his unconditional release and bringing the culprits of his illegal rendition to account.
“These interventions were not made known to the general public because the applicable rules, especially that of the United Nations, required them to be kept confidential for sixty days. That sixty-day just expired and the United Nations has therefore made public the details of its ‘Urgent Appeals’ to the Nigerian and Kenyan Governments, which were transmitted since 26th August 2021. It also has made public an acknowledgement it received on 17th September 2021 from the ‘Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the United Nations. Both documents are attached to this Press Release.
“In particular, the said Urgent Appeals states in part that the United Nations is “alarmed by the alleged torture and ill-treatment Kanu has been subjected to during his illegal custody in Kenya. If confirmed, these allegations would constitute prima facie violations of fundamental human rights, including the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of liberty, and the absolute and non-derogable prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment under the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights (ICCPR)”.
“Further, the Urgent Appeals states that ‘The allegations in the case of Kanu raise serious violations of international human rights law and may cause irreparable damage to his life or personal integrity, which we believe warrants prompt attention. In this regard, we are considering publicly expressing our concerns in this case in the near future, believing that the wider public should be informed about the implications of these allegations for the enjoyment and exercise of human rights in Kenya and Nigeria. Any public expression of concern in this regard will indicate that we have been in contact with your Excellency’s Government to clarify the issue/s in question’.
“Continuing, the United Nations stated that ‘While awaiting a reply, we urge that all necessary interim measures be taken to prevent any irreparable damage to the life or personal integrity of Kanu, halt the alleged violations and prevent their re-occurrence and in the event that the investigations support or suggest the allegations to be correct, to ensure the accountability of any person responsible of the alleged violations.’
“It is important to emphasize that this is just the beginning of more United Nations and other global strong actions that would be seen in the coming weeks. While we wait for such actions to unfold, we wish to inform the public that we will remain resolute and relentless in bringing the full weight of the international community to bear on the unconditional release of my brother and leader without further delay.”
