By Anayo Okoli
ENUGU — The Igbo Political Network (IPN) has added its voice to growing calls for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that freeing him would significantly reduce security tensions and help restore lasting peace in Igboland.
The group argued that Kanu’s continued detention, despite multiple court rulings in his favour, amounts to injustice and “an act of wickedness.”
President of the Network, Chief Alex Okemiri, expressed concern that Kanu has spent over five years in detention after his rendition from Kenya under the Buhari administration.
“The honest truth is that the time to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has come,” the group stated. “It smacks of injustice and wickedness to continue to detain him even when competent courts have ordered his release. We are no longer begging — he must be released.”
The group said both nationally and internationally, Kanu’s prolonged detention is seen as a deliberate attempt to suppress his fundamental human rights and a signal that the Igbo are treated as second-class citizens.
They questioned why Kanu remains in custody while “known criminals, terrorists, bandits, drug barons, and murderers” are granted freedom.
IPN further alleged that some Igbo political leaders are working against Kanu’s release for selfish reasons.
“To some extent, we agree that there are external collaborators and selfish Igbo leaders masterminding his ordeal,” the group claimed.
IPN also cited a June 2025 ruling by a High Court in Nairobi, Kenya, which declared Kanu’s detention and transfer to Nigeria in 2021 as unlawful and illegal. The court also awarded 10 million Kenyan shillings in damages against the Kenyan government for violating his rights.
“With these judgments in place, why is Nnamdi Kanu still being held?” they queried.
The group lamented that, despite rising tensions and reports of Kanu’s deteriorating health in DSS custody, many Igbo leaders have refused to openly demand his release.
“Many prominent Nigerians have called for his freedom, yet Igbo leaders and politicians remain silent because of their selfish interests,” IPN added.
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