Africa-Press – Kenya. Following the leaked information of how Nigerian Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu was reportedly arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), his lawyers have come out claiming was tortured by Kenyan police officers.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday in Abuja, Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria Wilfred Machage had denied Kenya’s involvement in the arrest of the secessionist leader.
Going further, Machage had insisted that the allegations were fictional, imaginary and deliberately concocted to fuel antagonistic feelings among certain sections of Nigerian people.
However, Kanu’s lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor, in an update he released on Twitter on Friday, said his client was apprehended, tortured and handed over to Nigerian security agents by operatives of Kenya’s Special Police Force.
“He was tortured and subjected to all forms of inhuman treatment which worsened his health condition. He was illegally detained for eight good days in Kenya before being transferred to their Nigerian counterparts.
“He was purportedly investigated on a bogus charge while in their custody, ostensibly awaiting to be handed over after their findings proved him innocent of all the spurious allegations. They later beckoned on their Nigerian counterpart to take over.
“Kenyan government was deeply involved in the abduction, detention and ill-treatment of my client before the illegal handover to their Nigerian counterpart,” Ejiofor tweeted.
Previously, it was reported that sources privy to the developments alleged that officials from the Nigerian High Commission requested Kenya to detain the fugitive and further deport him back to Nigeria. The Insiders further claimed that it was a combined covert operation by Kenyan and Nigerian officials
Kanu was first held at a private location at JKIA as immigration officials scrutinised his documents – part of a sting operation to cause delay – before handing him over to the police.
“He was nabbed and held for some hours as the authorities tried to address an immigration issue which was described as minor.
“Moments later he was handed over to Nigerian authorities,” the source claimed.
