The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has again appealed to the Federal Government of Nigeria to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who has now spent four years in custody.
In a statement issued over the weekend in Enugu by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ezechi Chukwu, the organisation urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to exercise his constitutional authority and apply diplomatic tools to secure Kanu’s release, describing it as a necessary step in the interest of equity, fairness, and inclusive justice.
The group reminded the public and the authorities that Kanu was arrested and detained in Kenya in 2021 before being extradited under controversial circumstances to Nigeria, a process it described as illegal.
“The continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu raises serious questions and imposes a moral burden on the credibility and integrity of the Nigerian judiciary,” the statement read.
“The international community is closely monitoring how long Nigerian authorities will continue to delay a just resolution to this matter.
Given the unlawfulness of his extradition from Kenya and the doubtful legal foundation of his arraignment, it is hard to justify why Kanu has been held for four years without securing justice.”
Ohanaeze emphasized that this renewed call is not new; past leaders of the group, as well as prominent Igbo political figures including governors and traditional rulers, have consistently urged the Nigerian government to release Kanu. However, all such appeals have so far been disregarded.
Kanu was initially arrested in 2015 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. Years later, in a significant development on 13 October 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja ruled that his rendition from Kenya was illegal.
The court held that the act violated both Nigeria’s extradition laws and Kanu’s fundamental human rights. Accordingly, it dismissed the terrorism charges against him and ordered his immediate release from the custody of the State Security Service (SSS).
Nevertheless, the Nigerian government refused to comply with the court order. It argued that releasing Kanu could pose a threat to national security and might disrupt court proceedings, especially in the South-east, his stronghold.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation later challenged the Appeal Court’s decision and secured a stay of execution from the Supreme Court. On 15 December 2023, the Supreme Court overturned the earlier acquittal, paving the way for Kanu’s trial to continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Most recently, on 19 June 2025, the Federal Government formally closed its case against Kanu after the fifth and final prosecution witness was examined and cross-examined by Kanu’s lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN). The proceedings were presided over by Justice James Omotosho.
As the legal battle continues, Ohanaeze insists that the only just and sustainable resolution is the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, warning that further delays only deepen public mistrust and fan the flames of regional discontent.