Who is Nnamdi Kanu? Find Out More About Biafran Activist

Nnamdi Kanu’s full name is Nwannekaenyi Nnamdi Ngozichukwu Okwu-Kanu.
Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and Ugoeze Nnenne Kanu were his parents.
Nnamdi Kanu was raised Christian but now identifies as Jewish.
He is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a group that was established in 2014.
He runs UK-based Radio Biafra.
Nnamdi Kanu was detained in Lagos on Oct. 18, 2015.
He was released on bail on October 20, 2015.
He disappeared after a military raid on his residence in September 2017.
In 2021, a secret organization in Kenya arrested & extradited him to Nigeria.
He is worth about $15 million right now.

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Who is Nnamdi Kanu?

Nnamdi Kanu, a Nigerian-born Brit, is a political activist who advocates for Biafra’s secession from Nigeria. On September 25th, 1967, his birth occurred. Formed in 2014, he heads the Indigenous People of Biafra. The primary objective of this group is to restore the secessionist state of Biafra, which existed in the Eastern Region of Nigeria during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970).

He oversees operations at Radio Biafra, which is based in the United Kingdom. He stoked the flames of Biafran secessionism with the use of that platform.

Nnamdi Kanu was taken into custody in Lagos, Nigeria, on October 14, 2015, and charged with treason. He was held for over a year, despite numerous releases being ordered by the courts. On April 28, 2017, he was granted bail and released from jail.

He was instrumental in the rebellion in Southeastern Nigeria after he skipped bail and went abroad. As a result, the Nigerian government launched an offensive against IPOB’s military wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). In the early years of 2021, this led to a minor skirmish. Despite these challenges, Nnamdi Kanu insisted that his group’s goal was to achieve Biafran independence without resorting to bloodshed.

In 2021, he was taken into custody once more in Kenya by a secretive outfit and extradited to Nigeria.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Early Life

Nnamdi Kanu was born on September 25, 1967 in the community of Isiama Afara Ukwu, which is located in the state of Abia, Nigeria. Nwannekaenyi Nnamdi Ngozichukwu Okwu-Kanu is his full name.

Both of his parents, Eze Israel Okwu Kanu (JP) and Ugoeze Nnenne Kanu, held the position of traditional Nigerian monarchs during his lifetime. They have since passed away.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Education

Library Avenue Elementary School was where Nnamdi Kanu attended for his primary schooling, and Government College Umuahia was where he completed his senior education. After receiving his degree from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, he relocated to the United Kingdom.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Activism

Nnamdi Kanu’s early career in the Biafran liberation movement began when Ralph Uwazuruike hired him as a director and announcer for Radio Biafra. Ralph Uwazuruike expressed his displeasure with Nnamdi Kanu in a later interview.

Radio Biafra was founded in 1967 by the now-defunct Biafran government to promote the Biafran struggle. Before 2009, when he established Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu was a relatively unknown figure in the world.

Nnamdi Kanu established the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in 2014 with the intention of working toward the independence of Biafra from Nigeria. At the World Igbo Congress (WIC) that took place in Los Angeles in September 2015, he participated as a guest speaker. His message to the crowd was, “We need guns and bullets.”

Nnamdi Kanu contacted a group of Nigerians living in the United States in June 2017 asking for weapons and ammunition for self-defense.

IPOB had already threatened to disrupt the 2019 presidential election before it was scheduled to take place. This act was met with significant backlash from Nigerian leaders on the ground, who believed that it was counterproductive.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest & Controversy

The State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria’s equivalent of a secret police agency, took Nnamdi Kanu into custody on October 18, 2015, in the state of Lagos. His attorneys stated at a brief press conference that their client’s whereabouts were unclear between the dates of October 14 and October 17, 2015, till October 18, 2015, when the news of his detention was first reported by the press.

The announcement of Nnamdi Kanu’s detention sparked demonstrations in nine different states: Delta, Cross River, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Anambra, Imo, and Enugu. Protests were also held in Bayelsa.

After a hearing that took place behind closed doors on October 19, 2015 at the Wuse 11 Magistrate Court, it was revealed that Nnamdi Kanu was released on bail.

Nnamdi Kanu was ordered to be brought before the Magistrate Court 1 in Abuja on November 23, 2015, after the court issued an order to that effect on November 18, 2015.

In spite of this, it was reported that the DSS had secured a “secret court order to hold Nnamdi Kanu.” Vincent Obetta, his attorney, stated in an interview. A court order allowing the DSS to detain Nnamdi Kanu for the next three months was also handed over to him by the prosecution at the time.

On November 23, 2015, Nnamdi Kanu’s trial began for the first time in an Abuja Magistrate Court on charges of “criminal conspiracy, intimidation, and membership of illegal organisation” brought against him by the Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS).

In a later application, he formally requested that he be moved from DSS/SSS custody to a federal jail. Even yet, his attorney insisted that he be sent to a prison where his client would have quick and easy access to legal representation.

His attorney, Obetta, and the DSS attorneys had a lengthy discussion and debate that has yet to be resolved. The magistrate, Usman Shuaibu, heard arguments from both sides and postponed his decision until December 1, 2015.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Release & Escape

The 20th of October, 2015, marked Nnamdi Kanu’s eventual freedom. Justice Binta Nyako, a federal judge, reportedly granted his release due to health concerns. Media outlets sympathetic to IPOB’s goals described the bail as “controversial” and stated the DSS announced the bail mainly “to soothe the agitated people of Biafra.”

Following his release, he vanished from view of the general public. Since Nnamdi Kanu had disappeared from public view over a year ago, there was widespread outrage about the mystery surrounding his whereabouts. His followers blamed the Nigerian government for kidnapping him, and as a result, 28 IPOB members were killed.

Officials in Ghana were said to have sighted Nnamdi Kanu in February of 2018. Pictures and videos taken in 2018 revealed his presence in Israel, which was later confirmed by the press.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Second Arrest, Extradition & Trial

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), made an announcement in December 2020 that IPOB had formed the ESN (Eastern Security Network) to safeguard people in southeastern Nigeria from robbers and armed Fulani herdsmen. He told southeast Nigeria’s governors 14 days to restrict open grazing, threatening to use the ESN if they didn’t. The government of Nigeria took action to stop the group because of public outcry. In January 2021, the Nigerian military attempted to eradicate the ESN from Imo State and were repulsed.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared war on the Nigerian government. Several states in southern Nigeria saw the first organised attacks by IPOB and other Biafran organisations. Despite this, Nnamdi Kanu insisted that IPOB was seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis and that ESN was designed to combat robbers, not the Nigerian government.

Nigerian authorities, meanwhile, have labelled IPOB a terrorist group and accused Nnamdi Kanu of instigating violence.

On June 27, 2021, Nnamdi Kanu was arrested in Kenya by an anonymous organisation and extradited to Nigeria to stand prosecution. The Kenyan police arrested Nnamdi Kanu, according to his brother’s statements. The High Commissioner of Kenya, Wilfred Machage, denied the allegations, saying that Kenyan authorities had not participated in the arrest and demanding proof.

Those who were already angry about his first arrest were even more so after learning of his second. An “illegal abduction” label was put on his arrest.

Concerns were also expressed about “Kanu’s contempt of the Nigerian Constitution,” which he said was a factor in his incarceration. In court, Nnamdi Kanu claimed that the Nigerian military chased him and compelled him to flee the country.

At his trial, which began in 2021, he pled not guilty to all accusations of “terrorism, treason, and public violence.

Justice Anya of the Abia State High Court found that Nnamdi Kanu’s imprisonment was a violation of his human rights on January 19, 2022. Both domestic and international law forbade his kidnapping and the subsequent forced return. The judge also ordered the Nigerian government to pay Kanu one billion Naira in damages.

However, Nnamdi Kanu’s trial has continued and he remains in jail notwithstanding the verdict. Further charges were discussed, and some were even brought by the prosecution.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Belief: Is He A Christian, Judaist Or Muslim?

Nnamdi Kanu was brought up in a Christian household; nevertheless, he now sees himself more closely aligned with the Jewish faith.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Status: Is He Married, Single or Divorced?

Ugechi Okwu-Kanu is Nnamdi Kanu’s wife. In 2009, they exchanged vows and became husband and wife.

Nnamdi Kanu’s Children: How Many Children Does He Have?

Nnamdi Kanu is a proud father of two sons. Unknown woman gave birth to his first son, and on January 5, 2016, in the United Kingdom, Uchechi, his wife, gave birth to Nnabuikem Nnamdi Okwu Kanu.