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Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is, as of November 12th, 2025, still in detention at the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja, Nigeria.
The IPOB leader was kidnapped in Kenya in 2021 while on a visit to meet with a secessionist leader in the East African Country. He was extradited to Nigeria, detained by the DSS, and charged in the Federal High Court for terrorism. The article Is Nnamdi Kanu released looks at his current legal status.
Nnamdi Kanu was first arrested on October 14, 2015, in Lagos, Nigeria, by DSS officers on charges including criminal conspiracy, intimidation, and membership in a proscribed organization. Kanu was arraigned on November 23, 2015, in an Abuja Magistrate’s Court and was detained for 18 months in Kuje prison before he was released on grounds of ill health.
The IPOB leader was accused of jumping bail and defying his bail terms, hence his kidnapping and extradition in 2021. Nnamdi Kanu has spent nearly 5 years in the DSS net following a very long legal process.
The IPOB leader has appeared in two courts since his second arrest. The Court of Appeal in Abuja discharged and acquitted Nnamdi Kanu on October 13, 2022. The court ruling, led by Justice Jumai Sankey, struck out several charges, including treasonable felony, declaring his extraordinary kidnap from Kenya illegal and a violation of fair trial rights under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution.
The DSS flouted court orders and still detained Nnamdi Kanu despite the court order. The Federal government appealed the judgment, and it was overturned and referred to the federal high court for retrial.
The Nnamdi Kanu vs Nigeria case has dragged on for nearly five years now, and he has yet to be released.
Nnamdi Kanu Urged to Open Defence
The federal high court in Abuja, led by Justice James Omotosho, is the legal team handling the Nnamdi Kanu case as of November 2025. The Justice asked Nnamdi Kanu to open his defence after confirming that the IPOB leader is fit to stand trial following a report by the Nigerian Medical Association.
Nnamdi Kanu is facing alleged terrorism charges for founding IPOB and growing the separatist movement, which is championing the re-emergence of Biafra, the now-defunct Country, which consists mainly of people of the old eastern region.
Nnamdi Kanu initially named high-ranking Nigerian politicians like FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as witnesses. The IPOB leader then made a U-turn, refusing to open his defence and requesting that Justice Omotosho provide constitutional backing, stating the exact law that he broke and what he is being tried on.
The Nigerian legal team handling Nnamdi Kanu’s case has not been able to provide a clear definition of his exact crime and back it up with the Nigerian constitution.
Kanu was given a six-day window to open his defence, which he didn’t do, leading up to his last court appearance on November 7th, 2025.
After the back and forth continued in a heated court appearance on November 7th by Nnamdi Kanu. Justice Omotosho, in a swift and precise manner, ruled that Kanu can no longer argue for a fair trial since he has been given a six-day window to defend himself.
The Judge ruled that Kanu would face judgment on November 20 following his refusal to open his defence.
Possible Sentence for Nnamdi Kanu
As November 20 draws closer, political pundits speculate on the possible judgment for the detained IPOB leader. The Sun Nigeria, in a report, stated the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty. There is also a possibility that Nnamdi Kanu might get a light sentence or miraculously be released.
The general public is watching the case closely, and protests for Nnamdi Kanu’s release were organised by Sahara Reporters founder, Yele Sowore, in Abuja in the company of Kanu’s legal counsel, Aloy Ejimakor.
The free Nnamdi Kanu protest spread throughout parts of Abuja, forcing a police crackdown and arrests of protesters.
Nnamdi Kanu, a dual citizen of Nigeria and Britain, founded IPOB after being a key member of the now-defunct Movement for Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) led by Mr Ralph Uwazurike.
He came into the limelight via his radio broadcast, Radio Biafra, which he used to disseminate his message of separation from the Nigerian state and the promise of freedom for the people of Eastern Nigeria.
