Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has called on the federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, after four years in detention.
The group’s National Publicity Secretary, Ezechi Chukwu, made the plea, urging President Bola Tinubu to use his constitutional powers and diplomatic instruments to free Kanu in the spirit of equity, fairness, and inclusive justice.
Truth Live News recalls that Kanu has been in detention since June 2021, when he was arrested in Kenya and extradited to Nigeria.
“The question of Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention poses a moral burden on the corporate integrity of the Nigerian judicial system,” Chukwu said.
“Since his process of extradition from Kenya is unlawful and the basis for his arraignment questionable, one wonders the rational for detaining Kanu for four years without justice,” he added.
A Kenyan court recently ruled that Kanu’s rendition from Nairobi to Nigeria was unlawful, unconstitutional, and a violation of his fundamental human rights.
The court awarded Kanu N110 million in general damages and ordered the Kenyan Attorney General to cover the cost of the litigation.
This development has renewed calls for Kanu’s release, with some Nigerian politicians and groups arguing that his detention is unjust and counterproductive.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has also appealed to President Tinubu to facilitate Kanu’s release as part of efforts to restore peace in the South-East.
Kalu said a political solution, rather than a legal one, is the best way to resolve Kanu’s case and reduce insecurity in the region.
The US government has shown interest in Kanu’s trial, with two officials observing the proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The IPOB group has also claimed that the trial is unjust and politically motivated, and has called for Kanu’s immediate release.