IN SHORT: The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra is facing several charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony. But the claim that the country’s top judge has acquitted him of all charges is false.
Nigeria’s chief justice, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has acquitted Nnamdi Kanu of all charges and ordered his immediate return to Kenya. This is according to a “breaking news” message doing the rounds on social media in Nigeria.
Part of the message reads: “In a landmark ruling, the Chief Justice also directed the Kenyan government to provide a formal explanation for Kanu’s extradition to Nigeria, which allegedly bypassed due legal process. The court warned that failure to comply with this directive may attract diplomatic consequences or sanctions.”
Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), a group campaigning for the secession of the Biafra region in southeastern Nigeria.
He has been in the Department of State Services’ custody in the Nigerian capital of Abuja since June 2021, after he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria to face trial.
He was first arrested in 2015 on charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony, among others. Kanu left Nigeria in 2017 after a military raid on his home. The court revoked his bail in March 2019 and ordered his re-arrest.
The same claim appears here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is there any truth to it? We checked.
No evidence for it
The media has been covering Kanu’s trial extensively. But Africa Check found no reports of his acquittal. Instead, we found reports of his trial resuming before justice James Omotosho in the high court in Abuja on 2 May 2025.
The chief justice presides over the country’s supreme court. Kanu’s trial is being heard in the high court. It is highly unlikely that the chief justice would make such a ruling on a case that has not been brought before the supreme court.
The claim about Kanu’s acquittal started circulating in late April. We searched the supreme court’s website for any judgments involving him between 20 April and 5 May and came up empty.
We found no evidence to support the claim that Nigeria’s chief justice has acquitted Kanu of all charges and ordered he be returned to Kenya.
The same claim was found here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
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