Nnamdi Kanu has dragged Imo State police chief to court over alleged false accusations.
He is demanding billions in damages, retraction, and public apology for the controversial statement.
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has taken legal action against the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, over what he described as false and defamatory claims.
Kanu, through his lawyer Maxwell Opara, filed a suit at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, demanding N10 billion in general damages. He is also asking for an additional N50 million as exemplary damages.
According to court documents with suit number CV3179/2025, the IPOB leader is further seeking 10 percent interest on the judgment sum annually, starting from the date of the ruling until full payment is made.
In his prayers before the court, Kanu requested a declaration that the press statement issued by the Imo police chief on July 25, linking IPOB and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), to killings in some communities, was baseless and defamatory. He also asked the court to stop the police commissioner from issuing similar statements in the future.
Part of the reliefs sought include a directive compelling the commissioner to publish a retraction and public apology in at least two widely read national newspapers and also broadcast it on national television.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Kanu filed the case on August 14, two days after it was signed by his lawyer.
The basis of the suit
In his statement of claims, Kanu said that on July 25, shortly after gunmen attacked communities in Ndi-Ejezie, Umualaoma, and Ndiakuwata Uno in Arondizuogu, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, the police commissioner released a statement to the media.
The statement, according to Kanu, directly accused IPOB and its security wing of being behind the “gruesome killings” in the affected areas. His lawyer argued that this attribution was made “falsely and maliciously” without proper investigation or evidence.
Opara stressed that the release was damaging because it came at a time when IPOB was already challenging the court order that labeled the group a terrorist organization. That matter, he noted, is still before the Supreme Court and remains unresolved.
The lawyer also pointed out that Kanu is facing ongoing charges of terrorism at the Federal High Court, a trial that has not yet been concluded. He argued that the commissioner’s remarks touched on issues still under judicial consideration and therefore prejudiced Kanu’s right to a fair trial.
Alleged damage to reputation
Kanu’s legal team insisted that no arrests or prosecutions have followed the allegations in the police statement, suggesting that there was no credible evidence linking IPOB or its leader to the attacks.
“The claimant avers that the false statement by the defendant was made without proper investigation, evidence or credible intelligence as no arrest or criminal prosecution has been initiated after the press release,” the suit stated.
Opara further maintained that the commissioner’s words caused serious harm to Kanu’s reputation both within and outside Nigeria. He added that the intention behind the statement was to turn public opinion against his client and portray him as directly responsible for violence in Imo State.
The court is expected to fix a date for hearing of the matter in the coming weeks.
