Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written a formal petition to former U.S President Donald Trump, the African Union (AU), and over 20 international bodies and governments, seeking urgent intervention for his release from what he describes as “unlawful captivity” by the Nigerian government.
In the petition made available to journalists on Wednesday, Kanu argued that his extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021 was illegal, rendering all Federal High Court proceedings against him null and void.
Kanu addressed his plea to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, European Union, Netherlands, Sweden, Amnesty International, Red Cross, African Union, ECOWAS Court, Kenya, South Africa, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Brazil, Israel, Finland, and Austria.
Since June 2021, Kanu claims he has been held in solitary confinement, a situation he says violates both Nigerian and international laws.
He rejected the December 15, 2023 ruling of the Supreme Court, which overturned his earlier discharge and acquittal granted by the Court of Appeal on October 13, 2022.
“This decision is a barbaric and illegal act, wholly unknown to criminal law jurisprudence anywhere in the world. It constitutes constitutional criminality of the highest order, exhibiting a shocking lack of fidelity to the Nigerian Constitution,” Kanu stated, citing authorities that prohibit stays of execution in criminal cases.
Kanu further alleged that the Court of Appeal’s stay of execution issued on October 28, 2022, which allowed his continued detention, was also illegal.
He accused the Nigerian government of detaining him without charge for 14 months, from October 2022 to December 2023, thereby violating Section 35 of the Nigerian Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
He contended that the Supreme Court’s decision to remand his case for trial amounted to double jeopardy, and reflected deep political bias and lawlessness within Nigeria’s judiciary.
“The Supreme Court’s December 15, 2023 reversal, compounded by the Court of Appeal’s illegal stay of execution on October 28, 2022, represents a systemic collapse of the rule of law in Nigeria,” he said.
He also accused the United Kingdom of inaction, noting that, as a British citizen, his rights under international law have been violated while the UK government failed to intervene.
“My 14-month arbitrary detention, enabled by UK inaction, exposes discriminatory neglect and judicial lawlessness,” he stated.
Kanu urged the international community to intervene:
“I respectfully request urgent intervention: demanding that Nigeria comply with Abacha v. State and Ejiofor v. FRN by enforcing the Court of Appeal’s discharge retroactively to October 13, 2022, nullifying my arbitrary detention, declaring the October 28, 2022 stay illegal, and securing my immediate release.”
He concluded his appeal by stressing the urgency of his situation:
“Your urgent intervention is critical to halt my persecution, uphold constitutional governance, and prevent my possible death in custody.”
