IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, Escaped from DSS Custody in Abuja? Fact Emerges

• Claims have appeared online saying Biafra separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has escaped from DSS custody with case file
• The posters said the IPOB leader’s alleged escape was "executed with meticulous planning and precision, catching the authorities off guard"
• A fact-checking platform investigated the claim and shared its findings in a report published on Thursday, June 13

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public journalism in Nigeria.

FCT, Abuja - Some posts on the social networking site, Facebook, claim that Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has escaped from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.

Legit.ng reports that Kanu had been held at the DSS facility in Abuja since June 2021.

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Although he has been brought to court multiple times, Nigerian authorities are yet to grant him freedom or possibly imprison him for alleged offences against the country.

The Facebook post reads:

“Breaking news: Nnamdi Kanu escapes from DSS custody with case file.

“According to reliable sources, Kanu’s escape was executed with meticulous planning and precision, catching the authorities off guard. Details surrounding the escape remain murky, with speculation ranging from insider assistance to external support.”

Similar posts can also be found here and here.

But has the IPOB leader truly escaped from DSS custody? A fact-checking platform, Africa Check, investigated.

Following its scrutiny, the media platform said if Kanu had managed to escape from custody, it would have been in the news. No credible media outlet reported the said escape.

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It, therefore, ruled the claim "false".

More to read on Nnamdi Kanu

• Appeal court gives verdict on Nnamdi Kanu's suit challenging IPOB's proscription
• Deji Adeyanju sends message to Tinubu over Nnamdi Kanu's detention: "Don't tow Buhari's path"
• Sowore speaks on why Nnamdi Kanu is still incarcerated: "His fate does not lie in any court"

CDS fumes at Biafra agitator Simon Ekpa

In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that General Christopher Musa, the chief of defence staff (CDS), reiterated that controversial diaspora-based Biafra activist, Simon Ekpa, must be arrested and prosecuted.

Musa accused the Finnish government of giving Ekpa total support in his (Ekpa's) mission to 'burn down' Nigeria.

Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng

Source: Legit.ng