The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a strongly worded press statement accusing the United Kingdom of "judicial and moral complicity" in the illegal rendition and continued detention of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu — a British citizen.

In a statement signed by IPOB's Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, the group condemned what it described as the UK’s "conspicuous silence" over the 2021 abduction of Kanu in Kenya and his subsequent forced return to Nigeria without any formal extradition proceedings.

According to IPOB, this act violated multiple international and domestic laws, including:

  • Section 15 of Nigeria’s Extradition Act,

  • Article 12(4) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and

  • Articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which both the UK and Nigeria are signatories.

The group pointed to several judicial decisions that have already condemned Kanu's abduction and detention:

  • The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2022) found the detention unlawful and called for his immediate release and compensation.

  • The Kenyan High Court ruled the abduction illegal and awarded damages for Kenya's involvement.

  • The Nigerian Court of Appeal ruled in October 2022 that Kanu’s rendition violated Nigerian law and nullified proceedings against him.

  • The Federal High Court in Umuahia awarded Kanu ₦500 million in damages over the same matter.

IPOB expressed outrage at the UK Government’s failure to speak out, likening its current inaction to a betrayal of the principles it upheld during the infamous Dikko Affair of 1984. In that case, the UK forcefully opposed Nigeria’s attempted rendition of former Minister Umaru Dikko, severed diplomatic ties, and threatened legal action.

Citing the Nigerian Supreme Court’s judgment in Dikko v. The State [1987] 2 NWLR (Pt. 56) 539, IPOB noted that trials arising from unlawful rendition are a legal nullity.

The group further argued that the alleged offences for which Kanu is being prosecuted — primarily his political broadcasts — were made from the UK and have not been deemed criminal under British law. By virtue of Nigeria's Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, which recognizes the principle of double criminality, IPOB maintains that Nigerian courts lack jurisdiction to try him.

IPOB's Demands to the UK Government:

  1. Publicly condemn the extraordinary rendition and continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

  2. Pursue diplomatic and legal measures to secure his immediate and unconditional release.

  3. Clarify its position before the British Parliament and public on why it has failed to act in defense of a British citizen facing international human rights violations.

"British silence in this case is not neutrality — it is complicity," IPOB stated. "The UK must choose between its professed commitment to human rights and political convenience. History will not forget where Britain stood in this defining moment."

The statement ends with a sharp reminder to the British Government: “It cannot do both.”

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