Nigerian separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu has dismissed his legal team and will now represent himself in court. The 58-year-old, who heads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), began his defence on Thursday by arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction, a claim rejected by the judge.
Kanu, who denies charges of terrorism and incitement, leads IPOB’s campaign for an independent Biafran nation in south-eastern Nigeria. Just a day before the hearing, he had listed several prominent Nigerians, including former attorney general Abubakar Malami, as witnesses. He gave no reason for firing his lawyers, who have not commented.
Kanu, a dual Nigerian-British citizen, maintains that his continued detention violates a 2022 appeal court ruling that ordered his release a decision later overturned by the Supreme Court. The judge reminded him that these issues had already been settled and ordered him to proceed with his defence.
Earlier this week, police used tear gas to disperse protesters in Abuja demanding Kanu’s release. Despite repeated clashes with the government, he remains a popular figure in south-east Nigeria.
Kanu was first arrested in 2015, fled after a 2017 military raid, and was re-arrested in 2021 under disputed circumstances in Kenya. IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, have been accused of violent attacks since the group was outlawed in 2017.
