“Ejimakor: 1966 ‘Igbo Coup’ Lie Justified Kanu’s Rendition”

Aloy Ejimakor, the lead counsel for Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has condemned what he described as the “satanic lie” of the 1966 Igbo coup, claiming it was used to justify the extraordinary rendition of Kanu in 2021.

In a post on X on Monday, Ejimakor stated: “In 1966, the satanic lie of an ‘Igbo coup’ was concocted to justify the pogrom against Ndigbo. In 2017, a similar lie was used to tag Ndigbo terrorists, using IPOB as a cover; and in 2021, it was used to justify the rendition of MAZI NNAMDI KANU. Ndigbo must put a stop to this.”

Ejimakor’s comments come in the wake of Kanu’s rendition from Kenya back to Nigeria in 2021. Kanu had fled Nigeria in 2017 after his residence in Afaraukwu, Abia State, was raided by soldiers during Operation Python Dance.

Though courts have since discharged and acquitted Kanu of all charges, the Nigerian government has yet to release him. In January 2025, Justice Binta Nyako of the Abuja Federal High Court adjourned Kanu’s case indefinitely, following a dispute over Kanu’s request for the judge to recuse herself from the trial.