Nnamdi Okwu Kanu was born September 25, 1967 in Isiama Afara Ukwu, Umuahia. His father, Eze Israel Okwu Kanu (JP), and his mother, Ugoeze Nnenne Kanu, were Nigerian traditional monarchs.

He attended Library Avenue Primary School and went to Government College Umuahia for his secondary education. He studied at University of Nigeria, Nsukka and moved to the UK before graduating.

He is a British-Nigerian political activist who advocates for the secession and independence of Biafra from Nigeria. He is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which he founded in 2014. The main aim of IPOB is to restore the defunct separatist state of Biafra which existed in Nigeria's Eastern Region during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967–1970.

As the director of a United Kingdom-registered radio station named Radio Biafra, Kanu propagated Biafran separatism. He was arrested on treason charges in Lagos, Nigeria on October 14, 2015 and was detained for more than a year, despite various court orders that ruled for his release. When in court, Kanu appeared regularly wearing a Jewish prayer shawl and head covering. He said in court that he "believes in Judaism" and considers himself a Jew.

He has led his Biafran people to various Jewish prayers and religious observations on different occasions. On April 28, 2017, Kanu was released from prison on bail. After jumping bail and fleeing abroad, he played a major role in the insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria. Nigerian security forces attempted to quash IPOB's armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, which culminated in a low-level conflict in early 2021.

Despite the fighting, Kanu maintained that IPOB was interested in a peaceful solution and achieving Biafran independence without violence or harm. In June 2021, he was re-arrested by Interpol and handed over to Nigeria.

MyNigeria/Wikipedia