The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a N20 billion defamation suit against the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The suit stems from a police press statement widely circulated online and published in major newspapers, which alleged that IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), were responsible for violent crimes in Imo State.

According to court documents, the police statement described the neutralization of six alleged IPOB/ESN members during a recent operation, linking them to acts of terrorism, including attacks on law enforcement facilities and kidnapping.

Kanu, represented by his legal team, contends that the statements made by ACP Adejobi were defamatory, portraying him as the leader of a terrorist organization and associating him with violent criminals.

The claimant insists that the publication was false, malicious, and aimed at tarnishing his reputation both globally and within Nigeria, where he commands significant followership.

Kanu further argues that the defamatory statements have negatively impacted his reputation and ongoing legal challenges to the designation of IPOB as a terrorist organization.

Among the reliefs sought, Kanu demands a court declaration that the statements made by ACP Adejobi are libelous, a retraction of the statements in the same media outlets where they were originally published, and an unreserved apology prominently published in The Sun, Daily Trust, and Vanguard newspapers.

In the writ of summons against the police public relations officer, Kanu is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining ACP Adejobi from making similar statements in the future, as well as N20 billion in general and exemplary damages.