The British High Commission has reacted to the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
A spokesperson of the British High Commission, Dean Hurlock told newsmen that they can only confirm Kanu’s arrest but the IPOB leader was not picked up in the UK where he is based.
Recall that the IPOB leader, who is also a UK citizen, had been in the UK since 2017 when he fled Nigeria.
Minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami had on Tuesday stated that Kanu was picked up on Sunday due to “the collaborative efforts of Nigerian intelligence and security services.
The AGF did not say where exactly the secessionist leader was arrested, but Hurlock disclosed that it was outside of the UK.
“We can confirm that Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested in the UK for extradition purposes,” he said via text message.
Kanu was first arrested on October 14, 2015, following years of his campaign for the sovereign state of Biafra.
He was granted bail in April 2017 but fled Nigeria in 2017 after soldiers invaded his residence in Abia state during a military clampdown on IPOB members.
It has been difficult for the government to re-arrest him since then due in part to his UK citizenship.
According to IPOB spokesman, the essence of the militant arm of IPOB Nnamdi Kanu set up while in the UK is to “halt every criminal activity and terrorist attack on Biafraland”.
But the emergence of the security outfit coincided with a spike in violent attacks in the south-east, with security agents mostly targeted.
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