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Nearly ten years after his first arrest, the story of Nnamdi Kanu — leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) — continues to unfold like a long, tense political drama.
At the latest hearing in Abuja, Kanu’s lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), stunned the courtroom when he announced that he and other senior advocates on the defence team were withdrawing from the case. Their client, he said, had decided to defend himself.
It was a rare scene. Calm but firm, Kanu stood in the dock and confirmed the decision before Justice Binta Nyako. “I will represent myself for now,” he said, declining the court’s offer to assign him another lawyer.
Then, in what many observers called a moment of defiance, the IPOB leader began to argue his own case, insisting that the court had no jurisdiction to try him because of what he described as his “extraordinary rendition” from Kenya in 2021.
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A Decade of Arrests, Bail, Flight and Return
To understand how Kanu got here, it helps to look back to 2015 — the year his name began echoing across Nigeria’s political landscape.
On October 14 that year, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested him in Lagos. He was accused of using his media platform, Radio Biafra, to promote secession and incite disunity. By December, he was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on an 11-count charge, including treasonable felony and terrorism.
After 18 months in detention, Justice Binta Nyako granted him bail in April 2017. The court’s conditions were strict: a ₦100 million bond and three sureties, including a sitting senator.
But just five months later, the story took a dramatic turn. In September 2017, during a military operation code-named Python Dance II, soldiers raided Kanu’s home in Afara-Ukwu, Umuahia, Abia State. By the time the dust settled, he had vanished.
He would later surface abroad, giving interviews and live broadcasts from undisclosed locations, criticising the Nigerian government and vowing to continue the Biafra struggle.
The 2021 Return and Renewed Trial
In June 2021, Kanu’s journey came full circle. The federal government announced that he had been intercepted and returned to Nigeria through an international operation. Reports later suggested he was seized in Kenya before being flown back to Abuja — a move his lawyers described as an “extraordinary rendition” that violated international law.
He was promptly re-arraigned and has remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) ever since.
Since then, his case has passed through several judges, countless adjournments, and repeated bail denials. In 2022, the Court of Appeal ordered his release, ruling that his rendition was unlawful. But the government quickly appealed, and the Supreme Court later overturned that decision in December 2023, allowing his trial to continue.
Earlier this year, the Federal High Court again denied his request for bail and his demand to be transferred from DSS custody to prison, where he argued he could better prepare his defence.
The Day His Lawyers Walked Away
When court resumed this week, few expected another twist. But as proceedings began, Chief Kanu Agabi, a respected former Attorney-General of the Federation, rose and informed the court that his client had chosen to personally handle his case.
Kanu nodded in agreement. Then, one after another, the other senior lawyers on his defence team also withdrew. The courtroom fell silent for a moment.
Observers described it as a risky but symbolic move — one that underscores both Kanu’s distrust of the system and his determination to control his own narrative.
In his brief argument before the court, Kanu maintained that he should not be on trial at all, insisting the government lost any moral and legal authority to prosecute him the moment it resorted to extraordinary rendition.
What His Self-Representation Means
By choosing to defend himself, Kanu has stepped into uncharted territory. Nigerian courts rarely see high-profile defendants take on their own cases, especially in complex matters involving terrorism and treason.
Legal experts say the move could slow proceedings further and raise questions about whether he can receive a fair trial without professional counsel. It may also be a political statement — a way of expressing his frustration with a justice system he considers compromised.
More Than a Courtroom Battle
For millions of people in Nigeria’s South-East, Kanu’s name has become a symbol — of resistance to marginalisation, of hope for self-determination, and of deepening distrust between the region and the federal government.
To his supporters, he is a freedom fighter. To the government, he is a dangerous agitator whose campaign has fueled violence and instability through IPOB’s activities, including the controversial “sit-at-home” orders.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly called for fair treatment and due process, criticising his prolonged detention without conviction.
What Comes Next
With his legal team gone, Kanu’s trial enters another uncertain phase. He has made it clear that he does not trust the Nigerian justice system, yet he continues to appear before it — a paradox that reflects both his resilience and the complex nature of his struggle.
The court has adjourned to allow him prepare for the next stage of his defence. Whether he decides to bring in new lawyers later or continues to go solo, his case remains one of the most closely watched legal and political stories in Nigeria today.
For a man who once broadcast his dreams of a new Biafra from a hidden microphone in London, the fight has shifted to a different kind of stage — one defined not by rhetoric, but by law, defiance, and endurance.
Reporting Sources: Reuters, Premium Times, The Guardian, Vanguard, Channels TV, The Cable, and court records.
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