The incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, should be released immediately, according to an open letter sent to President Bola Tinubu by the American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID).
AVID President Dr. Sylvester Onyia and Secretary Dr. Godson Obiagwu signed the letter, which urged the Nigerian government to abide by several court decisions and international instructions that have deemed Kanu’s arrest unlawful and unjust.
The grounds for AVID’s appeal are a number of court rulings and human rights declarations that denounced Kanu’s unusual transport from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021.
The group cited important court decisions, including as one from the Federal High Court of Nigeria on October 26, 2022, which ruled that Kanu’s further imprisonment violated his fundamental human rights and that his extradition was illegal.
The court ruled that his rights were violated by his imprisonment in Abuja and that his extradition from Kenya was unlawful. “The ruling specifically denounced the actions of the Nigerian government,” AVID wrote in the letter.
The Nigerian government ignored the verdict and kept Kanu in detention, which the veterans’ group protested.
The Supreme Court’s December 2023 decision, which acknowledged the circumstances of Kanu’s original imprisonment but remanded his case to the Federal High Court for trial, was also cited.
The Supreme Court denounced the 2017 military raid of Kanu’s residence, forcing him to leave the country, as AVID recounted.
The Supreme Court acknowledged, according to AVID, that Kanu’s ongoing arrest was unreasonable because his absence from court was not voluntary but rather the consequence of the military’s actions.
The organization also referenced the Working organization on Arbitrary confinement of the UN Human Rights Council, which ordered the Nigerian government to promptly free Kanu and pay him damages for his unlawful confinement in July 2022.
Nigeria is legally required to abide by this direction as a signatory to international human rights treaties and a member of the UN, the group said.
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AVID emphasized that Kanu’s imprisonment has turned into a political issue that calls for President Tinubu to act immediately.
“This case has changed from being a judicial matter to a political one, which is under the President’s executive authority. As they say, “the president’s table is where the buck stops,” the letter said.
AVID cautioned that disregarding court decisions and international agreements creates a risky precedent for Nigeria’s legal system and democracy.
In the Southeast, where anger has been stoked by Kanu’s prolonged arrest, the group also proposed that a peaceful resolution to his case could reduce tensions.
The letter’s conclusion made a clear plea to President Tinubu’s leadership and sense of fairness, imploring him to act swiftly to preserve national stability.
“As we express our gratitude for your expected discretion in stopping this serious injustice, let us also assure you of our continued respect for your high office,” AVID said.
