Nnamdi Kanu Sues Reno Omokri for N60bn Over Alleged Defamatory Comments
Detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a N60 billion lawsuit against social commentator Reno Omokri for allegedly making defamatory and prejudicial statements against him.
The suit, filed on July 31, 2025, at the Enugu State High Court, names Kanu and IPOB as joint plaintiffs, with Omokri as the sole defendant. Kanu’s legal representative, P.N. Agazie, had earlier issued a pre-action notice on July 10, demanding a retraction of the statements, a public apology in two national newspapers, and a written undertaking to cease further defamatory publications. Omokri failed to respond, leading to the court action.
According to court documents obtained by the press, Omokri, on July 6, 2025, published a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, accusing Kanu and IPOB of being responsible for the killings of security personnel, including police and military officers. He also alleged that Kanu and IPOB’s security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), were involved in terrorist activities and acts of violence linked to so-called unknown gunmen in Nigeria’s South-east.
The suit contends that Omokri’s claims are false, baseless, and defamatory, causing reputational damage and exposing Kanu to public hatred, contempt, and ridicule. It also asserts that the statements interfere with Kanu’s ongoing terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja and violate his constitutional rights to a fair hearing and the presumption of innocence.
As noted in the filings, no Nigerian court has convicted Kanu of terrorism or any crimes involving the killing of security operatives.
Kanu is seeking N50 billion in general damages for reputational injury, emotional distress, and harm to his ongoing legal proceedings, as well as N10 billion in aggravated damages for what he describes as malicious and reckless publications by Omokri.
The plaintiff also asks the court to compel Omokri to issue a retraction of the alleged defamatory statements in two national newspapers and on his social media platforms within seven days of the court’s judgment. He is further seeking a public apology and a perpetual injunction barring Omokri and his associates from publishing any further defamatory material.
As of now, the court has not fixed a hearing date for the matter.
Kanu has been standing trial for terrorism charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja since his controversial repatriation from Kenya in June 2021. IPOB, which campaigns for an independent Biafra state from Nigeria’s South-east and South-south regions, has been associated with several violent attacks in those areas. While the group denies any involvement, security authorities have linked some of the perpetrators to IPOB.
