Archbishop alleges Kanu trapped with woman
Reacting to his arrest, Archbishop of Enugu Provence, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev Emmanuel Chukwuma, welcomed his arrest and described it as good development.
The fiery cleric accused IPOB leader of jumping bail, adding that he didn’t appreciate Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and others who secured his bail.
He said, “Rather when he was abroad, he was instigating people to cause confusion. We warned him several times to stop that. It’s not only that; we felt that if you are a leader and you are part of the problem of Nigeria, you should come down here, so we can discuss with others on how to solve the problem.
Chukwuma, while describing Kanu as a weak leader, alleged that IPOB leader, “played into the hands of Nigerian Intelligence Agency, who set him up with a woman from London to Brazil, where he was arrested and then tranquilised to the point of bringing him to Nigeria.
“That shows irresponsibility. How can a woman and tranquiliser be a way of catching you if you are really a very strong leader? I feel disappointed in him because they lured him out of London to Brazil with a woman. It’s a shame.”
It is no doubt that the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra by the Federal Government has attracted mixed reactions from various groups.
News Rain Nigeria gathered that the reactions came just as the British government said Kanu was not arrested in the United Kingdom or extradited from England.
Also, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday ordered that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, be remanded in the detention of the Department of State Service.
Justice Binta Nyako gave the order while granting the application by the prosecution.
The counsel for the prosecution, S. M. Labaran, applied to the court to remand Kanu in custody.
Labaran also applied that the trial of Kanu that was earlier slated for October 20 be brought forward.
Kanu, who appeared without legal representation told the court that his house was earlier invaded. So, he had to go underground.
The court ordered that Kanu be remanded in DSS facility and adjourned his matter till July 26 and 27.
The court also ordered for accelerated hearing and asked the prosecution to inform Kanu’s lawyer of the proceeding in court.
Kanu’s lawyer, Maxwell Opara, told Punch correspondent that he did not see his client until he left the court premises.
Also present at the court premises was Omoyele Sowore, who told our correspondent that he had just come to the court when he heard that Kanu was appearing in court.
According to him, he stood in solidarity with Kanu as he had been in similar situation.
Earlier at a press conference, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had confirmed Kanu’s arrest.
Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest Update: Archbishop Alleges Woman Trapped IPOB Leader, Others React-See Details
Below are reports about Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest
Kanu not arrested in UK – British Govt
Responding to questions from one of our correspondents in Abuja on Tuesday, the spokesman, British High Commission in Nigeria, Dean Hurlock, said, ‘We are aware of reports that Nnamdi Kanu has been detained in Nigeria by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“We can confirm that Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested in the UK for extradition purposes.”
How Interpol arrested Nnamdi Kanu while seeking countries’ support for Biafra
Meanwhile, Kanu was apprehended by the International Criminal Police while seeking foreign support for the actualisation of the Republic of Biafra.
The PUNCH gathered that Kanu, who holds Nigerian and British passports, was arrested by security operatives outside his London base on Sunday.
He had been declared wanted by the Federal Government since 2017 after he jumped bail following the invasion of his country home in Abia State by soldiers.
A source disclosed that Kanu was arrested while leaving Israel for an unknown country but this could not be independently verified on Tuesday.
The source stated, “The request for the arrest of Kanu was made to the INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, about two months ago. Kanu could not be arrested at his London base because he is a British citizen and repatriating him to Nigeria may be challenging and the process cumbersome.
“So, the security agencies waited patiently for him to leave the British soil before moving against him; he was arrested while on transit. There was evidence of his meetings with foreign governments to solicit support for Biafra.”
The source also referenced the suspension of Twitter by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who justified his action by stating that Kanu used his Twitter account with 300,000 followers “to instruct his loyalists to kill Nigerian soldiers and police officers”.
Another source corroborated that Kanu was nabbed while on transit but said he could not confirm the exact location.
“The Nigerian government used conventional diplomatic means to facilitate the arrest of Kanu through the INTERPOL. There are also suggestions that our intelligence agencies played a role in the arrest and extradition process. It was confirmed that Kanu was picked up while on transit but the location cannot be immediately confirmed,” the source volunteered.
As part of strategies to arrest the separatist group leader, the President was said to have met with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in May during a summit on the financing of African post-COVID economies convened by the French government, where he sought Macron and INTERPOL’s support for the arrest of Kanu.
