Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was lured to a location in an African country with a promise of cash donation in millions of dollars before he was arrested.
Nigerians were shocked Tuesday to learn of Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest and re-arraignment in court on charges of treason and illegal possession of firearms, among others.
The attorney-general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, told newsmen Tuesday that Kanu was arrested on Sunday and repatriated to Nigeria, without disclosing the location.
The IPOB leader had jumped bail in 2017 after a military action, code-named “Operation Python Dance”, targeted his family house in Abia state.
“He was not arrested in the UK or Brazil or Czech Republic. He was not crated either, contrary to speculations,” a security source had revealed.
Amid speculations over the covert operation, online news medium THEWILL, reported that the “interception” took place in Ethiopia, where it said Kanu had been living for a while. This is as THISDAY specifically named Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, as the location where he was nabbed.
It is understood that Kanu was tracked through some members of IPOB who were recently arrested following a massive military operation to clamp down on the separatists in the south-east.
The security agencies worked through the links to give the IPOB leader the impression that he was going to be given some “millions of dollars” in cash donations to the organisation.
He was said to have decided to collect the money himself “because of the huge amount involved”, with reports that the top hierarchy did not know his whereabouts on the day he was arrested.
On arriving at the location where he was to collect the ‘donation’, he was arrested by that country’s security agencies and Interpol, and deported to Nigeria, the source said.
His trial for treasonable felony is expected to resume on July 26.
0 Comments