Nnamdi Kanu files fresh lawsuit against Nigeria claiming his rights are being abused in detention

INDIGENOUS People of Biafra (Ipob) leader Nnamdi Kanu has filed a fresh suit against the Nigerian government accusing it of breaching his fundamental human rights while he is being detained  by the Department of State Service (DSS).

Highly controversial, Mr Kanu has been campaigning for the recreation of the independent republic of Biafra which broke away from Nigeria between July 1967 and January 1970 during the civil war. His campaign, which has led to the phenomenal growth of Ipob, has set him at odds with the Nigerian government who him arrested and put on trial for treason.

While the case was still pending, Mr Kanu was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds but skipped his bail after flouting the conditions given to him by the court and fled Nigeria. However, in a dramatic development in June this year, Mr Kanu was abducted in Kenya in a commando operation carried out by Nigerian security operatives  and flown to Nigeria where his trial has resumed.

he is facing serious treason charges and while the case is still pending, today, Mr Kanu sought an order from the federal high court in Abuja compelling the DSS to allow him access food, medical care and clothes of his choice. In his suite, he claimed the attorney-general of the federation, the justice minister Abubakar Malami and the DSS, were depriving him of his fundamental human rights.

Instituted on his behalf by his lawyer Barrister Maxwell Okpara, Mr Kanu also applied for another order against DSS, asking that he be allowed to make arrangements for his food at his own expense. No date has been fixed for hearing of the suit yet.