The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has slammed a ₦10 billion lawsuit against the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, accusing him of defamation.
Kanu, through his lawyer, Maxwell Opara, filed the suit at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on August 14, 2025. The suit, marked CV3179/2025, was dated August 12.
The IPOB leader is demanding N10 billion as general damages and an additional ₦50 million as exemplary damages. He is also seeking 10 per cent post-judgment interest per annum until the complete liquidation of the sum.
The suit followed a press release issued by Mr Danjuma on July 25, in which he attributed a series of killings in Ndi-Ejezie, Umualaoma, and Ndiakuwata Uno communities in Arondizuogu, Imo State, to IPOB and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Kanu argued that the publication was “false, unsubstantiated, speculative and defamatory.”
He further stated, “The defendant falsely and maliciously attributed the gruesome killings in Imo communities to members of IPOB/ESN under my leadership.”
He prayed the court to issue a perpetual injunction restraining Mr Danjuma or any police officer from making similar statements in future.
Kanu is also seeking an order compelling the police commissioner to publicly retract the statement and publish an apology in at least two national newspapers and on national television.
“The false statement has caused irreparable damage to my reputation nationally and internationally,” Kanu said in his statement of claims.
The Nigerian government banned IPOB in 2017, designating it a terrorist organisation, a decision the Court of Appeal reaffirmed in January 2025. Security agencies have since routinely blamed IPOB and ESN for killings and violent attacks in the South-East.
But Kanu and IPOB have consistently denied involvement in the violence.
He noted that the commissioner’s press release was prejudicial, coming while his terrorism trial was still pending before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
“The false statement by the defendant was made without proper investigation or credible intelligence as no arrest or prosecution followed the press release,” Kanu argued.
The IPOB leader, first arrested in 2015, was extradited to Nigeria in 2021. In October 2022, the Court of Appeal ordered his release, describing the rendition as unlawful. However, the Federal Government appealed to the Supreme Court, which in December 2023 ordered his trial to continue.
On June 19, 2025, the prosecution closed its case after presenting five witnesses before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja. However, Judgment in the case is still pending.
