Nnamdi Kanu’s Separatist Trial Resumes in Abuja Amid Tight Security

 The trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), resumed on May 2, 2025, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, under heavy security with 2,000 police and military personnel deployed.

Kanu, arrested in Kenya in June 2021 and extradited to Nigeria, faces seven counts of terrorism, treasonable felony, and inciting violence, tied to IPOB’s campaign for Biafra’s secession in Nigeria’s southeast. The charges, carrying life imprisonment, stem from his Radio Biafra broadcasts and alleged orchestration of attacks killing 60 security operatives since 2015.

Kanu, 57, pleaded not guilty, with his defense arguing the charges violate free speech and that his rendition from Kenya was illegal. Prosecutors presented new evidence, including intercepted calls and $1 million in alleged foreign funding, claiming IPOB’s 50,000 members planned to destabilize Nigeria. The court rejected Kanu’s bail application, citing his prior bail jump in 2017, and ordered his continued detention at DSS facilities. The trial, adjourned to June 10, is expected to last six months, with 30 witnesses, including former IPOB members, set to testify.

The case has inflamed tensions in the southeast, where IPOB’s sit-at-home orders disrupt 20% of economic activity, costing $500 million monthly. Nigeria’s 33.2% inflation and 60% poverty rate exacerbate local grievances, with 40% of Igbo youths supporting secession, per a 2025 survey. The government, wary of Kanu’s 1 million followers, banned IPOB in 2017, labeling it a terrorist group. Kanu’s health, reportedly deteriorating with a heart condition, has sparked protests, with 5,000 supporters rallying in Aba. The trial’s outcome could reshape Nigeria’s unity, with 180 ethnic groups and a history of civil war claiming 1 million lives from 1967-1970.