By Pascal Ibe

“Mr. President of Kenya, are you saying all these because your country is now in a big mess, or is it because you care about the crime committed against Mazi Nnamdi Kalu?”

The above comments and many others followed the claim that the current Kenyan president, William Ruto has directed the Nigerian government to extradite Nnamdi Kanu to the East African nation.

Many X users who commented on the post expressed optimism that this might be a time for the release of their leader.

The X user, @Autopilothomee also claimed that the Kenya president has sued the Nigerian government at the International Court of Justice(ICJ).

The claim reads, “Breaking News: Kenyan President William Kipchirchir Has Requested for Nigeria to Return Nnamdi Kanu to Kenya immediately, Takes Case to World Court

“For the first time, Kenya is taking legal action against Nigeria at the World Court over the case of Nnamdi Kanu. President William Kipchirchir has formally requested Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to return Nnamdi Kanu to Kenya, citing concerns over diplomatic security.

“The Kenyan president expressed fears that foreign diplomats now feel unsafe in his country, stating that if Nnamdi Kanu could be taken from Kenya in such a manner, the same could happen to anyone.

“President Kipchirchir emphasized that Nigeria’s actions have severely damaged Kenya’s international reputation. He vowed to pursue the case at the highest level to ensure justice and restore his country’s image.

The post by @Autopilothomee has generated over 27k views and 170 reposts since March.

Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), has been facing terrorism charges by the Nigerian government after being repatriated from Kenya in 2021.

Verification

First, a thorough search by FACTWATCH Nigeria indicated that no credible news organization in Nigeria, Kenya, or elsewhere confirmed this claim to be true recently.

Verifying this further, this Fact Checker observed that the Kenyan president is addressed as William Ruto. However, the X user replaced the surname of the Kenyan leader with his middle name, Kipchirchir. This is another indication that the claim is far from being true as the middle name of the Kenyan president is rarely used in official reports.

FACTWATCH Nigeria also found out that the claim lacks critical details, such as when the Kenyan president issued the directive, and there was no video evidence or official documents that support this claim.

Verdict

This claim is false as there’s no single confirmation from reputable media organizations anywhere and no video evidence or official evidence.