The Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF) Worldwide has renewed calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing him as a prisoner of conscience.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Chairman and Founder, Chief Augustine Chukwudum, the socio-cultural group said Kanu’s continued detention was both “unlawful and unjust,” alleging it reflects the ongoing marginalisation of the Igbo people in Nigeria.
Chukwudum argued that Kanu’s agitation was a peaceful demand for justice and equality, not a criminal act. He accused the Federal Government of applying double standards, claiming that while violent insurgents in the North are often granted amnesty and integrated into society, peaceful activists from the South-East face repression.
“The government pays and rehabilitates bandits and Boko Haram members who have killed innocent citizens, yet a man who only speaks up for his people is held incommunicado,” Chukwudum said.
He further alleged that the government’s refusal to obey court rulings, including a Court of Appeal judgment ordering Kanu’s release, reinforces the belief that the Igbo are not treated equally within the federation.
The NUF leader called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to demonstrate fairness and justice by ordering Kanu’s release, saying, “We all know he is innocent. His only ‘crime’ is being an Igbo man.”
The group also urged National Assembly members from the South-East, as well as Igbo-speaking lawmakers from Delta and Rivers States, to stage a boycott of plenary sessions in protest. Additionally, it advised all Igbo political appointees in the current administration to resign as a mark of solidarity.
“This is the time for collective action. Resignation and boycott will prove that our leaders genuinely care about Nnamdi Kanu’s freedom,” the statement concluded.
