As Ejimakor’s family denies his dismissal, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has lost his appeal against the government of the United Kingdom (UK) regarding his detention in Nigeria.
Kanu has been detained at a Department of State Service (DSS) facility since June 2021, when he was recaptured in Kenya and returned to Nigeria after escaping the country in 2017.
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Last year, the IPOB leader, who possesses dual British and Nigerian citizenship, filed an appeal in London, requesting that the British government intervene in his case with the Nigerian government.
Kanu had petitioned the British courts for an order compelling the Federal Government to take a stance and condemn his detention publicly.
He filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), also known as the Foreign Secretary, as the UK government’s representative in London.
However, on March 23, 2023, the court dismissed his case.
Kanu then lodged an appeal with the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal, Royal Courts of Justice, in London, to contest the decision of the High Court.
In the meantime, on July 7, the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court’s decision, stating that it could not interfere with the UK government’s decision regarding the IPOB leader’s detention and conditions in Nigeria.
While the Nigerian government’s case against Kanu was still pending in Nigeria’s Supreme Court, the three-person panel stated that it could not compel the Foreign Secretary to adopt a firm stance on the issue.
In the meantime, Kanu’s family has denied that the IPOB leader’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, has been fired, as claimed by the group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful.
Kingsley Kanu, Kanu’s sibling from Germany, issued a statement on behalf of the family on August 2, 2023, denying the dismissal.
“We, the family of Nnamdi Kanu, state categorically that the entire statement by Powerful is false and defamatory,” the statement reads. Therefore, Aloy Ejimakor has not been fired from his position as Special Counsel to Kanu and IPOB. He remains in good standing as Special Counsel until Kanu says otherwise.”
