Activist lawyer Deji Adeyanju has revealed that the late President Muhammadu Buhari was deeply angered by Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu's claim that he had died and been replaced by an impostor from Sudan.
According to Adeyanju, this controversial claim was the primary motivation behind Buhari's administration pursuing Kanu's arrest in Kenya and his subsequent extradition to Nigeria.
"Nothing annoyed the late Buhari more than that rumour started by Nnamdi Kanu that he was already dead," Adeyanju stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
"That was the reason they went all out to hunt him down in Kenya and practically abducted him unconstitutionally," he added.
The activist lawyer, who was a vocal critic of the Buhari administration, also reflected on his own experiences of persecution during that period, stating: "I was arrested 11 times, imprisoned thrice and almost killed in the street under Buhari but it's nothing personal, just an ideological thing."
Origins of the 'Jubril of Sudan' Conspiracy
The controversial claim originated in 2017 when then-President Buhari spent five months in London receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed illness. During this extended absence, Kanu propagated the theory that Buhari had died and been replaced by a body double named Jubril from Sudan.
Upon his return to Nigeria in 2018, Buhari publicly refuted these allegations, insisting he was indeed himself and not an impostor. The conspiracy theory, however, had already gained significant traction among some segments of the Nigerian population.
Kanu, who has been in detention since his controversial arrest and repatriation from Kenya in June 2021, faces multiple charges including terrorism and treasonable felony. His detention continues to be a point of contention between the federal government and various stakeholders, particularly from the Southeast region.
Adeyanju concluded his post with a conciliatory note about the late former president: "May his soul truly rest in peace in Jesus' mighty name. And may God comfort his family."
The relationship between Buhari's administration and IPOB remained contentious throughout his presidency, with the government designating the group as a terrorist organization in 2017, a move that was widely criticized by human rights organizations.
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