KENYA - TheNigerian

Nnamdi Kanu: Nigerian Govt turned Kenya into human hunting ground – Igbo Union

TheNigerian — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:03:19 +0000

A pan-Igbo socio-cultural advocacy and humanitarian organization, Ndi-Igbo Worldwide Union, NIWU, has said the Nigerian Government turned Kenya into a human hunting ground with the arrest and rendition of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

NIWU, in a statement signed by its chairman, Ben Nwankwo, and secretary, Chief Charlse Edemuzo, and made available to journalists on Wednesday, announced that the formation of the group was informed by the need to address pertinent issues concerning the Igbo people worldwide, “amidst the silence and inactivity of those vested with the responsibility”.
The group listed the conviction and sentencing of Nnamdi Kanu as an example of the injustice and marginalization suffered by the Igbo in the Nigerian state.

Condemning the development, NIWU demanded the IPOB leader’s immediate release, accusing the Nigerian government of violating the sovereignty of Kenya in the manner Kanu was arrested in the country.
According to NIWU, Nigeria committed an extraterritorial border crime in Kanu’s arrest and rendition.

The statement said, “Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) conviction is yet another example of abuse and violation of fundamental human rights by the Nigeria state. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s trial was without jurisdiction. His conviction was based on law unknown to man, hence the trending soundbite “Omotosho show me the law”.
“Ndi-Igbo Worldwide Union is using this opportunity to vehemently and equivocally condemn, in the strongest terms, the kidnapping, torture and extraordinarily renditioning of Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria.
“By this single crime, Nigeria has turned the sovereign state of Kenya, into a human hunting ground, with vague understanding of the gravity of the extraterritorial border crime. We condemn and reject Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s conviction in its entirety, based on nothing other than justice and the rule of law.”

The pan-Igbo group lamented what it described as selective justice in Nigeria, noting that court rulings which favoured Kanu were ignored by the Federal Government.
The group pointed to the Abia State Federal High Court ruling of January 19, 2022, which found the Nigerian state guilty of the invasion of Kanu’s home in 2017, and an Abia State Federal High Court ruling on extraordinary renditioning of Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria. It also cited an Enugu State High Court ruling which declared the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organization unconstitutional, and the Supreme Court Ruling of December 2023.
The group drew the attention of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, to Kanu’s plight, noting that the association shares in the responsibility of guaranteeing and protecting the right of every citizen under the law.
However, NIWU warned that justice will catch up with Igbo elites who have “seized this troubling time of our people to seek for political relevance”.
“The land will not forget you. To our young men and women (our proud future generation), you have not disappointed us, rather your political elites and some elders in our midst have disappointed you. They have traded your future for their political gains. This will not continue – we assure. We encourage you to keep fighting for your rights under the law,” the group added.
NIWU, in the same vein, lamented the absence of federal presence in the South-East, noting that the government at the center has sidelined the region in major national development programs including railway lines, seaport, cargo airline services, national gas pipelines, among others.
The pan-Igbo group, in the same vein, accused the Nigerian government of intentionally looking away while Christians, mainly Igbos and other moderate religious groups, are being terrorized by Muslim jihadists across the country.
It further lamented that “Nigerian prisons are saturated with Igbo youths in their hundreds and thousands, based on unsubstantiated trumped-up charges as members of IPOB or ESN”.
According to the group, most of the Igbo youths languishing in jail without trial did not commit any crime.

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We Must Speak Out or Perish in Silence” — Prof. Lumumba Decries Leadership Failure and False

TheNigerian — Sat, 03 May 2025 10:53:48 +0000

Renowned Pan-Africanist and public intellectual Professor PLO Lumumba has issued a powerful rebuke against what he describes as “cowardice,” “false democracy,” and “leadership greed” in African countries, calling on the continent’s citizens—especially the youth—to awaken to the realities of their governance systems and demand accountability.

Speaking at a public symposium yesterday, Prof. Lumumba lamented the rising tide of impunity, corruption, ethnic politics, and electoral manipulation across Africa, warning that the continent cannot progress under its current political systems.

“This is not the time for cowards who die many times before their actual death,” Lumumba declared. “If we remain silent today, our children and their children will pay the price of our cowardice.”

He decried recent assassination attempts on reform-minded leaders, referencing his friend Captain Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso, who he said has survived multiple attempts on his life.

“When you’re doing good in Africa, they try to take you out,” he noted. “But like Samora Machel said, when colonizers praise you, pause and ask: what evil are you committing against your own people?”

On Failed Democracy

Lumumba criticized the state of democracy in Africa, stating that many African nations adopted colonial systems of government post-independence, rather than developing systems rooted in African traditions and values.

“No African country adopted a governance system based on its own traditions. Instead, we inherited Western systems—systems that are now failing us.”

Citing the situation in countries such as Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali, Lumumba pointed out that several coups in recent years are signs of deeper systemic failure. “What we call democracy has become a mockery,” he said.

A Broken System of Governance

He described Kenya’s political landscape as one where tribalism trumps ideology. “Political parties don’t matter. What matters is your ethnic group,” he said. “No presidential candidate has ever contested twice under the same party. The forest changes, but the monkeys remain the same.”

He sharply criticized Kenya’s Parliament, alleging rampant corruption, nepotism, and insatiable greed among elected officials.

“Our MPs are among the best paid in the world relative to our GDP, not because they serve us—but because they serve themselves.”

He accused politicians of turning the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) into personal empires, enriching themselves through companies registered in the names of relatives and household staff.

Call to Action for Young Africans

Prof. Lumumba challenged young Africans to rise above tribal loyalties and demand better leadership and governance.

“The tribe must die—not in identity, but as a basis for decision-making,” he said. “We can’t keep voting for people just because they gave us 200 shillings.”

He emphasized that development requires discipline and prioritization. “We have 47 counties in Kenya, each acting like an independent nation. Yet, some of these counties generate 400 million annually but consume over 2 billion. We cannot grow—not even with divine intervention.”

On Democracy and African History

Dispelling the myth that democracy is a Western invention, Lumumba traced the practice back to Africa’s pre-colonial systems and the 1235 Manden Charter among the Mandinka people, long before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“We knew democracy. We practiced it. But the version we now practice is neo-colonial, imposed, and failing.”

Closing Message

Referencing the killing of six people on April 29th in what he described as “cold blood,” Lumumba lamented the culture of lawlessness and impunity that pervades African governance.

“What is the value of knowing what is right if we do not do what is right?” he asked. “We are unmoved and untouched, but until we change, nothing will change.”

He concluded with a rallying cry:

“This is not the time for cowards. We must speak out and bear the consequences. Africa must rise.”

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Kenya Airways Apologised Over Mistreatment Of Nigerian

TheNigerian — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 06:04:00 +0000

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), on Tuesday, said that Kenya Airways has apologised for mistreating a Nigerian Passenger in Nairobi, Kenya.

LEADERSHIP reports that a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, was denied boarding on the second leg of her connecting flight in Nairobi over her inability to provide a Schengen visa. She was then accused of throwing used sanitary pads on the airline’s employee.

The social media video showing a verbal exchange between the passenger and a Kenya Airways agent at the transfer desk in Nairobi (NBO) has since generated comments.

However, the director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, on his X account, shared pictures and the outcome of the meeting.

According to him, the airline has apologised for the ill-treatment of the Nigerian passenger during a meeting with the airline.

“In respect of the now viral case between a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, and Kenyan Airways, I summoned the airline to my Abuja office today, Tuesday, February 4, 2025.

In attendance were the airline’s country manager, James Nganga; Station Manager, Eric Mukira; and duty manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu.

“We informed the airline that the passenger had called Kenya Airways…on December 7, 2025, to inquire if she was qualified to fly the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos (inbound) and Lagos-Nairobi-Paris-Manchester route. According to the passenger, the airline told her that she was qualified, despite her informing them that she is Nigerian, who holds a British resident permit, but no Shenghen visa,” Achimugu said.

The NCAA director said it was based on this information from Kenya Airways that the passenger proceeded to purchase the ticket, adding that she flew the first leg into Nigeria via Paris and Nairobi with no incidence.

“The airline has asked for time to check their recorded call log and confirm if that call happened. They have been granted 48 hours to do so,” he said.

“For her outbound flight, the airline boarded and flew the passenger out of Lagos despite knowing that she needed a transit visa for the Paris leg. This fault was that of the airline, and it was only discovered in Nairobi.”

He noted that upon discovery, the airline then offered the passenger a direct flight to London at no extra cost to her, on the condition that she’d wait another 10 hours in addition to the 17-hour layover she had just endured. Since she was bleeding and exhausted, the passenger demanded accommodation and care because the error was that of the airline. It was when she was denied care that an argument ensued between her and the airline counter staff,” he added.

Achimugu said this is contrary to the intentionally misleading official statement by Kenya Airways claiming that the lady simply refused to re-route directly to London and started to throw pads around.

He said the Kenya Airways team has apologised for the obfuscation of facts in that statement and has also admitted that phone call or not, it was the fault of the airline not to have discovered the problem before airlifting the passenger from Lagos.

“I expressed deep disappointment about the unruly Kenya Airways staff who insulted the office of the President of Nigeria, insinuating that the airline could do anything to Nigerians and nothing would happen. I asked if this manner of addressing customer complaints was the airline’s standard protocol.

“The country manager stated in very clear terms that the staff was out of order and apologised for the outburst. When asked what disciplinary measures will be taken against their personnel, he said that his bosses in Nairobi would decide,” he added.

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Kenya Airways Apologises Over Ill-treatment Of Nigerian Passenger

TheNigerian — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:19:56 +0000

Kenya transfer desk in Nairobi (NBO) has since generated reactions.

However, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, on his X account shared pictures and the outcome of the meeting to address the dispute.

Achimugu said the airline has apologised for the ill-treatment of the Nigerian passenger during a meeting with the airline.

“In respect of the now viral case between a Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore, and Kenyan Airways, I summoned the airline to my Abuja office today, Tuesday, February 4, 2025.

“In attendance were the airline’s Country Manager, James Nganga; Station Manager, Eric Mukira; and Duty Manager, Ezenwa Ehumadu.
“We informed the airline that the passenger had called Kenya Airways on December 7, 2025 to inquire if she was qualified to fly the Manchester-Paris-Nairobi-Lagos (inbound) and Lagos-Nairobi-Paris-Manchester route.

“According to the passenger, the airline told her that she was qualified, despite her informing them that she is Nigerian, who holds a British resident permit, but no Shenghen visa,” Achimugu said.

The NCAA director said it was based on this information from Kenya Airways that assured the passenger to proceed to purchase the ticket, adding that she flew the first leg into Nigeria via Paris and Nairobi with no incidence.

“The airline has asked for time to check their recorded call log and confirm if that call happened. They have been granted 48 hours to do so,” he said.

He noted that upon discovery, the airline then offered the passenger a direct flight to London at no extra cost to her, on the condition that she would wait another 10 hours in addition to the 17-hour layover she had just endured.

“Since she was bleeding and exhausted, the passenger demanded accommodation and care because the error was that of the airline. It was when she was denied care that an argument ensued between her and the airline counter staff,” he added.

He said the Kenya Airways team has apologised for confusing facts in that statement, and has also admitted that phone call or not, it was the fault of the airline not to have discovered the problem before airlifting the passenger from Lagos.

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Kenya, Nigeria Lead As Africa’s ‘Big 4’ Attract 84% Of Start-up Funding

TheNigerian — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 02:31:41 +0000

Kenya and Nigeria, alongside Egypt and South Africa, collectively known as Africa’s “Big Four”—secured 84 percent of all start-up funding on the continent in 2024, maintaining a trend consistent since 2019, Africa: The Big Deal latest report revealed.

Kenya led with $638 million, followed by Nigeria with over $400 million, reinforcing their crucial roles in shaping Africa’s entrepreneurial and funding dynamics.

East Africa claimed the largest share of funding for the second consecutive year, raising $725 million despite an 18 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline.

Kenya emerged as the undisputed leader, pulling in $638 million—88 per cent of the region’s total and 29 per cent of all funds raised across the continent. Landmark deals in climate tech, including investments in d.light, SunCulture, and Basigo, propelled Kenya to the forefront, making it Africa’s most funded market in 2024. Tanzania followed distantly with $53 million, while Uganda secured $19 million. Other countries like Rwanda, Sudan, and Ethiopia saw limited activity.

West Africa, with $587 million in funding, climbed to second place after ranking fourth in 2023. Nigeria led the region with over $400 million, closely matching the totals for Egypt and South Africa. Notably, the region exhibited the most balanced distribution, with Nigeria accounting for 70 per cent of its total funding. Ghana ($68 million), Benin ($50 million), Côte d’Ivoire ($33 million), and Senegal ($22 million) contributed significantly to the region’s stability, limiting the YoY decline to just three per cent.

North and South Africa faced steep declines. For instance, Northern Africa attracted $478 million, a 35 per cent drop from 2023. Egypt, which represented 84 per cent of the region’s funding, saw a sharp 37 per cent decline, while Morocco held steady with $70 million.

Southern Africa experienced a similar contraction, with funding plummeting by 36 per cent to $397 million. South Africa alone accounted for 99.4 per cent of the region’s total, highlighting the limited funding activity in neighboring countries.

Central Africa struggled to attract investments as it remained the least funded region, securing just $5 million in 2024, a staggering 90 per cent decrease from the previous year.

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