Biafran Activist Nnamdi Kanu in 'High Spirits' Ahead of Trial: Lawyer

A lawyer for Biafran activist Nnamdi Kanu told Newsweek his client is “in high spirits” ahead of the opening of his trial for treason on Tuesday.

Members of Nigeria’s intelligence agency, the State Security Service (DSS), arrested Kanu—the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)—in October 2015 on charges including sedition and ethnic incitement. The Nigerian government has previously tried to shut down Radio Biafra, an underground media outlet of which Kanu is director and which refers to Nigeria as a zoo and denigrates Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in its broadcasts.

Kanu’s arrest has prompted thousands of people to demonstrate across southeast Nigeria, demanding the activist’s release and calling for independence for Biafra, which existed as a republic in southeast Nigeria between 1967 and 1970. Kanu, who is in his 40s, has been described by IPOB members as “a legend in the making,” according to IBTimes U.K., and he has previously said that Biafra would be established “no matter what happens,” though the group has denied that their leader endorses violence.

Kanu’s trial is due to begin in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday on the back of a controversial period of detention. A federal high court in Abuja ruled in December that Kanu should be granted unconditional bail and released immediately, only for the Nigerian government to file new charges against Kanu, including treason. A Nigerian court ruled on January 29 that Kanu should be denied bail but transferred him from DSS custody to Kuje Prison in Abuja. 

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected calls for Kanu to be released, describing the activist—who is based in the U.K. but frequently returns to Nigeria—as a flight risk. In his maiden presidential media chat on December 30, 2015, Buhari claimed that Kanu entered Nigeria without using a passport and had brought in broadcasting equipment to propagate Radio Biafra’s secessionist message in the country. “There is a treasonable felony against him and I hope the courts will listen to the case,” Buhari said.

Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a member of Kanu’s defense team, told Newsweek that Kanu was positive when they met on Sunday ahead of the trial. “We are ready to put our heads together and get our arsenals ready for tomorrow’s action,” Ejiofor said on Monday. “We have strong belief that the charge Mr. Kanu is currently facing is bogus and empty...We are ready to establish inside the court that that charge cannot be sustained.”