Nigerian court orders Nnamdi Kanu to stay in jail

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has ruled that separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu should be kept in prison, overturning a 2022 judgment by a lower court that ordered his release.

The court also ruled that his terrorism trial at a lower federal court should continue.

Mr Kanu will remain under the custody of the Nigerian secret police as the government sets a date for the continuation of his trial.

He is the leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) group, which has been campaigning for the creation of an independent state in south-eastern Nigeria.

Mr Kanu was originally arrested in 2015 on treason and terrorism charges, which he denied. Mr Kano then fled Nigeria while out on bail.

In 2021 Mr Kanu, who holds a UK passport, was extradited back to Nigeria from Kenya.

The Nigerian authorities have linked Ipob to numerous attacks on police stations and other government buildings in south-east Nigeria. The group denies any involvement.