Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has written to more than 20 foreign governments and international organizations, urging urgent diplomatic intervention to secure his release from what he described as “unlawful detention” by Nigerian authorities.
In a petition dated August 22, 2025, and signed from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), Kanu described himself as a “prisoner of conscience” and accused the Nigerian judiciary of enabling his prolonged incarceration through what he called politically motivated rulings.
Petition to 20 Foreign Missions
The IPOB leader, who holds dual Nigerian and British citizenship, addressed his petition to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, the European Union, Sweden, the Netherlands, Amnesty International, the Red Cross, the African Union, ECOWAS Court, Kenya, South Africa, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Brazil, Israel, Finland, and Austria.
Kanu insisted that his detention since June 2021 violates Nigeria’s constitution and international human rights treaties.
He called on the international community to pressure President Bola Tinubu’s government to uphold judicial precedents and release him without further delay.
“The Supreme Court’s lawlessness, compounded by the Court of Appeal’s illegal stay of execution, undermines the rule of law, and I seek your assistance to restore justice,” Kanu wrote.
Legal Battle Timeline
Kanu recalled that the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted him on October 13, 2022, ruling that his extraordinary rendition from Kenya violated Nigeria’s Extradition Act and his constitutional rights.
However, on October 28, 2022, the Federal Government secured a controversial stay of execution, which kept him in detention despite the acquittal.
Kanu said the move violated established Nigerian jurisprudence citing Ejiofor v. FRN and Abacha v. State which prohibit suspending liberty after acquittal.
From October 2022 to December 2023, Kanu said he remained in DSS custody without fresh charges for 14 months, breaching the Nigerian Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
On December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court overturned the acquittal and ordered a retrial, while acknowledging the illegality of his rendition.
Kanu described the ruling as judicial overreach, violating the principle of double jeopardy and undermining constitutional supremacy.
Accusations Against Judiciary
Kanu accused the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of engaging in what he called “judicial lawlessness” and “political activism.”
He described Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani’s stay of execution ruling as “a barbaric assault on the rule of law.”
He cited reports by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which he said documented systemic judicial bias against IPOB members.
“This decision is a barbaric and illegal act, wholly unknown to criminal law jurisprudence anywhere in the world,” Kanu argued. “It constitutes constitutional criminality of the highest order.”
Call for Foreign Pressure
Kanu appealed specifically to the United Kingdom, saying his continued detention violates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the UK’s obligations to protect its citizens.
He urged foreign governments to consider Magnitsky-style sanctions against Nigerian officials allegedly complicit in his detention, and called for his case to be escalated to the ECOWAS Court, African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, or the International Criminal Court (ICC) if Nigeria refuses compliance.
Background
Kanu was first arrested in 2015 on charges of treasonable felony. Granted bail in 2017, he fled the country following a military raid on his residence.
In June 2021, he was forcibly returned from Kenya in a move widely condemned as illegal rendition.
Since then, his trial has been mired in controversy, with rights groups and international observers accusing the Nigerian government of defying court orders and using the judiciary as a tool of political repression.
Kanu warned that his prolonged detention poses a threat to his life and called on the international community to act swiftly.
“Your urgent intervention is critical to halt my persecution, uphold constitutional governance, and prevent my possible death in custody,” he stated