The detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a N60 billion suit against a social critic, Reno Omokri, for allegedly making defamatory and prejudicial publications against him.
Mr Kanu, who is facing terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja, filed the suit on 31 July at the Enugu State High Court.
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The IPOB leader sued on behalf of himself and the separatist group while Mr Omokri is the sole defendant in the suit.
He said he had, through his lawyer P.N. Agazie, issued a pre-action notice on 10 July 2025 against Mr Omokri, demanding a retraction of the defamatory publication, a public apology published in two national dailies and an undertaking to refrain from such publication.
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But the social critic failed to heed the pre-action notice, hence the suit.
The alleged defamation
Mr Kanu, according to a court document seen by PREMIUM TIMES, told the court that Mr Omokri on 6 July 2025 claimed in a post on his X handle that he and IPOB were responsible for killing of security operatives, including police and army personnel.
He also said Mr Omokri accused him and IPOB of being responsible for the acts of violence attributed to “unknown gunmen” in the South-east.
The IPOB leader further informed the court that Mr Omokri, in the post, alleged that he and IPOB’s Eastern Security Network (ESN) were engaging in terrorist activities.
“The said statements are false, baseless, prejudicial, and defamatory, as they portray the plaintiff as a criminal and a terrorist, thereby injuring his reputation, character, exposing him to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, and prejudicing his ongoing judicial proceedings…at the Federal High Court Abuja,” Mr Kanu was quoted as saying in the document.
He contended that as of the date of the defamatory statements, no court of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria has convicted him of any offence involving the killing of security personnel or acts of terrorism.
“The defendant’s publication constitutes prejudicial commentary on the plaintiff’s pending judicial proceedings, amounting to contempt of court and a violation of the plaintiff’s right to a fair hearing and presumption of innocence under Section 36(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” he said.
Kanu’s prayers
Mr Kanu asked the court to order Mr Omokri to pay him N50 billion as general damages caused by injury to his reputation, emotional distress and prejudice to ongoing judicial proceedings.
The IPOB leader further prayed the court to order the defendant to pay him N10 billion as aggravated damages for Mr Omokri malicious and reckless publication.
He equally asked the court to order Mr Omokri to publish a retraction of the defamatory statements in two national dailies, and his X handle within seven days after the judgement.
Mr Kanu asked the court to order Mr Omokri to publish a public apology to him, admitting misrepresentation of facts in two national dailies and his social media networks..
He asked the court to grant a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents and cronies from further publishing or disseminating the defamatory publication.
The court has yet to fix the date for the hearing.
Background
Mr Kanu has been facing terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja since he was repatriated from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021 under controversial circumstances.
His separatist group, IPOB, has been linked to some deadly attacks in the South-east and South-south, but the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.
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Security operatives and government officials have been targets of the attacks in recent times.
Some gunmen terrorising the two regions have also been linked to IPOB, a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the two regions.
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