Kenya Takes Nigeria To ICC Over Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest And Detention
On October 26, 2025 an X user @JohnEzeakolam claimed that Kenya’s President, William Ruto has taken Nigeria to the International Criminal Court, ICC over the detention of Mazi Nnamdi. The post had an image of the Kenyan President, his Nigeria counterpart, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nnamdi Kanu. The caption reads:
““Kenya Takes Nigeria to the ICC – President Ruto Challenges Nigeria Before International Court, Freezes Billions in Assets and Declares: “You Kidnapped Nnamdi Kanu Return Him to Kenya or Face the World Court!”.
President William Ruto has reportedly taken a firm stance against Nigeria over the unlawful detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). According to emerging reports, President Ruto has brought Nigeria before the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the West African country of violating international law by abducting Kanu from Kenya in 2021. The Kenyan leader is also said to have imposed a travel ban on Nigerians entering Kenya and frozen assets worth billions of dollars owned by Nigerians in the country, a move aimed at pressuring Abuja to release Kanu immediately.
We are not afraid of Nigeria. If justice requires war, we are ready. You cannot invade our land, kidnap a man, and call it justice,” President William Ruto was quoted as saying.”
This claim has generated significant engagement, reaching about 160,000 views and having over 4,000 replies, reposts, quotes, likes and bookmarks at the time of this report. In the comment section, @KaroBlvk said “Source : my imagination” and @Nicole_Izoduwa wrote “How does fake news help a cause many believe to be a genuine cause.”
VERIFICATION
In June 2021, Nnamdi Kanu was arrested in Kenya and brought to Nigeria under unclear circumstances. Kanu and his lawyers have since maintained that he was abducted from Kenya by Nigerian security agents and unlawfully repatriated.
On June 25, 2025, a Kenyan High Court ruled that Kanu’s arrest and transfer to Nigeria violated Kenyan and international law, describing the process as illegal and unconstitutional. The court ordered the Nigerian government to pay 10 million Kenyan shillings (N119,621,879.96) in general damages as compensation.
However, a search through both ICC databases and Kenyan government press releases show no record of any case filed against Nigeria, related to the Nnamdi Kanu ongoing trial.
President Ruto has also not made any public statement threatening Nigeria, freezing Nigerian assets, or declaring readiness for conflict over the Kanu issue. And there is no credible report that Kenya has imposed travel bans or asset freezes targeting Nigerians. Neither the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Central Bank of Kenya has issued any circular or statement supporting the claim.
CONCLUSION
The claim that President William Ruto has taken Nigeria to the ICC, frozen Nigerian assets in Kenya, imposed a travel ban, and threatened war over the detention of IPOB leader Kanu is FALSE. While a Kenyan High Court ruled that Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest and transfer to Nigeria were unlawful, this remains a domestic judicial decision not an international dispute between both countries. There is no credible evidence or official record supporting these allegations. There is no confirmed ICC case filed by Kenya against Nigeria, and the Kenyan government has issued no statement indicating such actions.
