Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, says the prolonged detention and activism of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader has come at a huge personal cost to his family.
Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021, after being arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in what his lawyers call an extraordinary rendition. Despite court rulings ordering his release, he has remained behind bars.
Ejimakor recalled that during the height of the Biafra agitation, the military launched Operation Python Dance — a mission that included a raid on Kanu’s home in Afaraukwu, Abia State. While Kanu escaped, the events left lasting scars. Along the way, he also suffered the loss of both parents.
In a post on X, Ejimakor said Kanu’s family has “fought and led from the front” in his legal battles, contributing to victories at the Appeal Court, in Kenya, Umuahia, the United Nations, Enugu, and the African Union. “They’ve paid a heavy price,” he wrote, describing their sacrifices as equally significant — if not greater — than those of Kanu himself.
