A Coalition of British lawyers of Igbo extraction has vowed to drag the Kenyan Government to the International Criminal Court, ICC, for detaining Nnamdi Kanu, a British citizen, and subsequently handing him over to the Nigerian Government.
The Coalition also gave the Nigerian Government 48 hours ultimatum to release Nnamdi Kanu, return him to the United Kingdom and follow the right process of extradition.
Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, was arrested and detained by Kenyan authorities and was later handed over to the Nigerian Government.
The lawyers’ statement was signed by Barrister Ebuka Okoroafor, accusing the Kenyan government of violating the human rights of the IPOB leader, who entered their country with his British passports.
“Coalition of Igbo-British lawyers condemns the illegal detention and subsequent handing over of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to the Nigerian government by the Kenyan Government,” the Coalition statement said.
They described as archaic and illegal the action of the Kenyan Government, adding, “It is worthy of note to mention that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu entered Kenya with his British passport, and the Kenyan government is fully aware of his citizenship status but still went ahead to perpetrate their illegal act which does not only breach the personal human rights of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu but also undermine the sovereignty of the British government,” the statement read in part.
The Coalition warned that the failure of the Nigerian Government to free Kanu and return him to the UK will be seen as a declaration of war not just on the IPOB leader and his group but the entire Igbos.
“While this serves as a pre-action notice to the Kenyan Government as we shall be heading to the International Criminal Court to rectify the injustice done as it is trite law that injustice to one is injustice to all, we are also by this medium informing the Nigerian Government that they have 48 hours to return Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to the United Kingdom.
“And if he has any charges to answer to, they should as a nation that is governed by the constitution, pass through the legal means of filing an extradition notice.”
The group further warned that no bodily harm whatsoever must be done to Nnamdi Kanu.
Earlier, the UK Government had said it will engage the Buhari government over the rearrest of Kanu.
The UK Government said the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office “stands ready to provide consular assistance,” to the IPOB leader.
Nnamdi Kanu was arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court on Tuesday and was remanded at the Department of State Service until July 26.
