IPOB Slams UK, NBA for Ignoring Nnamdi Kanu’s "Judicial Persecution"

IPOB Slams UK, NBA for Ignoring Nnamdi Kanu’s "Judicial Persecution" On October 6, 2025, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is...

IPOB Slams UK, NBA for Ignoring Nnamdi Kanu’s "Judicial Persecution"

On October 6, 2025, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) issued a blistering statement condemning the United Kingdom and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for their "shameful" and "cowardly" silence amid what it calls the blatant judicial persecution of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The British-Nigerian citizen, detained since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021, faces terrorism charges in a trial IPOB deems a "sham" plagued by legal violations. IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful’s statement accuses both entities of complicity in undermining justice, positioning Kanu’s case as a critical test of global and national legal standards.

IPOB’s grievances highlight a perceived betrayal by institutions meant to uphold the rule of law. “Nigeria’s judiciary has mangled justice for four years,” Powerful stated, citing the Supreme Court’s reversal of a 2022 Court of Appeal discharge through dubious means, Kanu’s detention without legal counsel in breach of constitutional rights, reliance on “fabricated DSS witnesses,” and prosecution under the repealed 2013 Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act. IPOB slams the NBA, tasked with safeguarding legal integrity, as “cowering in fear,” rendering Nigeria’s judiciary “unworthy of respect.”

The UK faces even harsher scrutiny as Kanu’s home country. IPOB accuses Britain of hypocrisy, noting its silence while “Nigeria tramples on common law principles.” The global movement recalls the UK’s vocal opposition to Nigeria’s 1984 attempted rendition of Umaru Dikko from London, branding its current inaction as “complicity” tinged with anti-Biafran bias. “Would Britain stay silent if this were any other citizen? For a Biafran, they turn a blind eye,” the statement reads.

IPOB demands that the UK and NBA justify their silence and advocate for Kanu’s fair treatment, warning that his case reflects “the decay of Nigeria’s judiciary and the moral failure of justice’s defenders.” Powerful added, “History will judge those who stood mute as the law was buried.”

Kanu’s ordeal underscores Nigeria’s contentious approach to IPOB’s self-determination call. Arrested in 2015 for treasonable felony, he fled for his life in 2017 after his home was invaded by Nigerian military, reemerging in Israel and broadcasting via Radio Biafra from the UK. His 2021 Kenyan abduction ruled unconstitutional by a Kenyan court, drew global condemnation, including a 2022 UN opinion urging his release. Though discharged by Nigeria’s Court of Appeal in 2022, the Supreme Court’s 2023 reversal sent him back to trial.

Ongoing proceedings at Abuja’s Federal High Court under Justice James Omotosho are shrouded in secrecy, with IPOB decrying restricted media access in May 2025 and demanding live broadcasts per Nigeria’s Constitution. Recent hearings involved Kanu’s personal items, dismissed by IPOB as “ordinary” and evidence like the death certificate of former aide Ahmed Gulak, tied to alleged IPOB linked violence. In August 2025, Kanu petitioned the NBA to sanction three judges for alleged bias and misuse of repealed laws.

IPOB’s statement aligns with its broader appeals to global powers like the UK, UN, and US, framing Kanu’s detention as a symbol of Nigeria’s ethnic strife and judicial rot. The movement claims each court session costs taxpayers 500 million naira, with officials allegedly profiting. Kanu’s family, in August 2025, accused Britain of suppressing evidence and ignoring its own extradition laws, as Kanu’s alleged offenses occurred in the UK, where IPOB operates legally.

As of October 6, 2025, neither the NBA nor the UK Foreign Office has responded, intensifying IPOB’s claims of institutional apathy. Amid rising southeastern insecurity, which IPOB attributes to government repression while denying involvement in violence, Powerful declared, “The world is watching.” The silence of the UK and NBA could shape not only Kanu’s fate but also the legitimacy of justice in a nation wrestling with its federal divides. IPOB’s call remains clear: delayed justice is no justice, and silence enables its demise. 

Family Writers Press International.