Kanunta Kanu, the younger brother of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has reacted to the death of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari with a controversial statement referencing long-standing conspiracy theories.

 

Taking to his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Kanunta claimed the “cabal” and the British government had played “their last joker,” following the confirmation of Buhari’s death on Sunday by his former spokesman, Garba Shehu. The former president died in a London clinic after battling an undisclosed illness.

 

Kanunta’s reaction reignited the narrative promoted by IPOB in 2017 and 2018, during Buhari’s prolonged medical absence in the UK. At the time, IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu alleged that the real Buhari had died and was replaced by a body double named Jubril from Sudan, a claim repeatedly denied by the late president and widely dismissed by the Nigerian government.

 

“Gen Muhammadu Buhari is dead for the second time. Finally, the cabals and the British Government have played their last joker on a hopeless country called Nigeria,” Kanunta posted on X.

 

The controversial statement has sparked fresh debate on social media, with many Nigerians recalling the years-long speculation and political tension that followed Buhari’s 2017 medical leave.

 

Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2015 to 2023, died at the age of 82. His death marks the end of a significant era in Nigeria’s political history, with tributes and reactions pouring in from across the world.