Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has petitioned the United States President Donald Trump, the African Union, and several foreign missions and international organizations, seeking urgent intervention for his release from what he described as unlawful captivity.
In the petition sent to THEWHISTLER on Wednesday dated August 22, 2025, and jointly addressed 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, Kanu said he had been condemned to unlawful detention and solitary confinement since June 2021.
“I, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a dual Nigerian-British citizen and Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), write this petition as a captive of the Nigerian State, condemned to unlawful detention and solitary confinement in Nigeria since June 2021.
“The Nigerian Supreme Court’s perverse and unconstitutional ruling on December 15, 2023 (Appeal No. SC/CR/136/2022) reversed my lawful discharge and acquittal by the Court of Appeal on October 13, 2022, despite clear jurisdictional nullity and violations of my fundamental rights,” Kanu wrote.
He urged the international community to compel the Nigerian government to respect the law. “By this letter, I respectfully implore your urgent intervention to compel the Nigerian government to adhere to its own laws, respect stare decisis, and uphold the constitutional supremacy enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
“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,” he added.
Kanu recalled that the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted him on October 13, 2022, ruling that his abduction from Kenya, where he entered as a UK citizen, was unlawful and violated the Extradition Act 2004 and his right to a fair trial.
He said the extraordinary rendition constituted a jurisdictional nullity that rendered the Federal High Court proceedings void.
He, however, accused the Court of Appeal of illegally granting a stay of execution on October 28, 2022, which enabled his continued detention.
“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 said, citing legal authorities that prohibit stays of execution in criminal proceedings.
He further alleged that he was arbitrarily detained without charge between October 2022 and December 2023, in violation of Section 35 of the Nigerian Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter.
He said the Supreme Court’s December 15, 2023 decision overturning his acquittal and remitting the case for trial was unconstitutional and amounted to double jeopardy.
Kanu accused the Nigerian judiciary of reckless lawlessness and political bias, noting that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights had documented systemic bias against IPOB.
He also accused the United Kingdom of complicity, stating that as a British citizen, his rights under international law had been violated while the UK failed to act.
“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,” the petition read.
Kanu also urged the international community to condemn what he called judicial lawlessness in Nigeria, hold the UK accountable for failing to protect his rights, and consider escalating the matter to international courts or sanctions if Nigeria refuses compliance.
“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.
“My 14-month arbitrary detention, enabled by UK inaction, exposes discriminatory neglect and judicial lawlessness. Your urgent intervention is critical to halt my persecution, uphold constitutional governance, and prevent my possible death in custody,” Kanu added.
