ednesday, 30th June 2021: The arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), by the Federal Government has attracted mixed reactions from various groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF), who urged the Federal Government to be cautious in handling the IPOB leader’s issue.

The reactions came just as the British government said Kanu was not arrested in the United Kingdom or extradited from England.

Also, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday ordered that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, be remanded in the detention of the Department of State Service.

Justice Binta Nyako gave the order while granting the application by the prosecution.

The counsel for the prosecution, S. M. Labaran, applied to the court to remand Kanu in custody.

Labaran also applied that the trial of Kanu that was earlier slated for October 20 be brought forward.

Kanu, who appeared without legal representation told the court that his house was earlier invaded. So, he had to go underground.

The court ordered that Kanu be remanded in DSS facility and adjourned his matter till July 26 and 27.

The court also ordered for accelerated hearing and asked the prosecution to inform Kanu’s lawyer of the proceeding in court.

Kanu’s lawyer, Maxwell Opara, said that he did not see his client until he left the court premises.

Also present at the court premises was Omoyele Sowore, who told CEOAFRICA that he had just come to the court when he heard that Kanu was appearing in court.

According to him, he stood in solidarity with Nnamdi Kanu as he had been in similar situation.

Earlier at a press conference, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had confirmed Kanu’s arrest.

Kanu not arrested in UK – British Govt

Responding to questions from one of our correspondents in Abuja on Tuesday, The spokesman of the British High Commission in Nigeria, Dean Hurlock, has said that ‘We are aware of reports that Nnamdi Kanu has been detained in Nigeria by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“We can confirm that Nnamdi Kanu was not arrested in the UK for extradition purposes.”

How Interpol arrested Nnamdi Kanu while seeking countries’ support for Biafra

Meanwhile, Kanu was apprehended by the International Criminal Police while seeking foreign support for the actualisation of the Republic of Biafra.

CEOAFRICA gathered that Kanu, who holds Nigerian and British passports, was arrested by security operatives outside his London base on Sunday.

He had been declared wanted by the Federal Government since 2017 after he jumped bail following the invasion of his country home in Abia State by soldiers.

A source disclosed that Kanu was arrested while leaving Israel for an unknown country but this could not be independently verified on Tuesday.

The source stated, “The request for the arrest of Kanu was made to the INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France, about two months ago. Kanu could not be arrested at his London base because he is a British citizen and repatriating him to Nigeria may be challenging and the process cumbersome.

“So, the security agencies waited patiently for him to leave the British soil before moving against him; he was arrested while on transit. There was evidence of his meetings with foreign governments to solicit support for Biafra.”

The source also referenced the suspension of Twitter by President Muhammadu Buhari, who justified his action by stating that Kanu used his Twitter account with 300,000 followers “to instruct his loyalists to kill Nigerian soldiers and police officers”.

Another source corroborated that Kanu was nabbed while on transit but said he could not confirm the exact location.

“The Nigerian government used conventional diplomatic means to facilitate the arrest of Kanu through the INTERPOL. There are also suggestions that our intelligence agencies played a role in the arrest and extradition process. It was confirmed that Kanu was picked up while on transit but the location cannot be immediately confirmed,” the source volunteered.

As part of strategies to arrest the separatist group leader, the President was said to have met with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, in May during a summit on the financing of African post-COVID economies convened by the French government, where he sought Macron and INTERPOL’s support for the arrest of Kanu.

Handle Kanu’s case with caution, ACF counsels FG

In a related development, the pan-northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, has cautioned the Federal Government to handle the arrest of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, with care.

According to the ACF, the best way out was for the government to keep strictly to the rule of law in handling the matter.

This, the ACF said, was because the IPOB leader had the support of international arm dealers with the capacity to destroy the country.

This was just as the Coalition of Northern Groups said it received the news of the arrest and repatriation of the fugitive rebel, Nnamdi Kanu, with mixed feelings of apprehension and appreciation.

The CNG hailed the Federal Government and security agencies that made the arrest possible, “particularly the International Police and authorities of the United Kingdom for honouring their obligations with Nigeria.”

Both the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Emmanuel Yawe, and the spokesperson of the CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, made the positions of the two northern bodies known in a statement released in Kaduna on Tuesday.

“The best way out is to keep strictly to the rule of law. Kanu and his collaborators must be made to understand that Nigeria is not a failed state and the rule of law still exists here,” the forum said.