ABUJA – The family of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has called on the United Kingdom to publicly acknowledge its alleged role in his illegal rendition, demand his immediate return, and launch a parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the case.
The demand was contained in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by Prince Emmanuel Kanu, the family’s spokesperson.
The statement accused the UK government of failing to protect Kanu, who holds British citizenship, following his abduction in Kenya in June 2021 and subsequent extraordinary rendition to Nigeria.
Prince Emmanuel Kanu, speaking on behalf of the family, said the UK’s failure to act constitutes a violation of international law and of its responsibilities towards its citizens.
“The same British Government that armed Nigeria to starve Biafran children to death now stands accused of a far more cowardly crime, the silent orchestration and diplomatic shielding of an illegal rendition, torture, and political show trial of a British citizen,” the statement read.
The family reiterated that Kanu was abducted in Nairobi, Kenya, and transferred to Nigeria without due process.
They raised serious questions about the role of the British High Commission in Nairobi and the apparent failure of the UK Foreign Office to intervene.
“Why was the British High Commission in Nairobi inactive while a British citizen was drugged, tortured, and flown out in chains? Why was the UK Foreign Office complicit in turning a blind eye to this abduction that violated every known treaty obligation under international human rights and consular law?
“In 1968, they supplied the arms that killed Biafran children. In 2021, they supplied the silence that allowed their citizen to be kidnapped and tortured.
“If Britain cannot protect its own citizen, then it should admit publicly that some British citizens are more equal than others,” Kanu demanded.
The family warned that they would hold the UK government responsible should anything happen to Kanu, describing its silence as complicity in injustice.
“Their silence is not neutrality. It is an endorsement of injustice,” the statement added.
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been in detention since 2021 and faces charges related to his campaign for Biafran self-determination.
Leave a Reply