By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused United Kingdom of playing double standard by securing the release of a Muslim activist, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, and failing to protect its own citizen, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Kanu who has a dual citizenship of Nigeria and UK was recently slammed life imprisonment over terrorism charges.

IPOB in a statement by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful on Sunday said, “IPOB under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, strongly condemns the glaring double standards displayed by the British Government and Prime Minister Keir Starmer in their treatment of British nationals facing detention abroad.

“On December 26, 2025, Prime Minister Starmer publicly expressed delight at the return to the UK of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah — a Muslim pro-democracy campaigner following his pardon and release from Egyptian detention, describing it as a profound relief and a ”top priority” for his government.

“Yet, for over four years, the same government has offered only minimal consular support to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a dual British-Nigerian citizen and Judeo-Christian advocate for peaceful self-determination, who was subjected to extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021, tortured, and detained in violation of international law.

“At no time has Britain prevailed upon Nigeria to obey the multiple judicial decisions condemning Kanu’s rendition and ordering his release.

“This selective advocacy raises profound questions about consistency in protecting British citizens. Had Mazi Nnamdi Kanu been Muslim, it is inconceivable that the UK would have remained passive in the face of his unlawful abduction, sham proceedings, and recent vindictive life sentence.”

It Insisted that Kanu’s abduction and ongoing detention have been repeatedly declared unlawful by authoritative bodies, noting that a Federal High Court, in its judgment of October 26, 2022, ordered the Nigerian government to return Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to Kenya, halt his trial, and pay N500 million in damages for the unlawful abduction and violation of his rights.

IPOB added: “The Nigerian Court of Appeal, in its judgment of October 13, 2022 (Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CR/625/2022), discharged and acquitted Kanu, ruling that his extraordinary rendition from Kenya without due process violated international law and stripped Nigerian courts of jurisdiction to try him.

“The United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, in Opinion No. 25/2022 (adopted April 2022, published July 20, 2022), found Kanu’s deprivation of liberty arbitrary under multiple categories, in contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Working Group called for his immediate release, compensation, and investigation into those responsible.

“A Kenyan High Court, in its June 2025 judgment, declared Kanu’s abduction, incommunicado detention, and transfer to Nigeria unlawful and unconstitutional, awarding him compensatory damages.

“Despite these binding findings, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains in detention following a controversial November 20, 2025, Federal High Court conviction and life sentence — a ruling accomplished legal minds have described as relying on a repealed law and ignoring higher court precedents.

“This conviction represents a profound assault on constitutional safeguards and turns logic on its head. The Court of Appeal’s 2022 discharge and acquittal—grounded in the fundamental jurisdictional defect of unlawful rendition—equates to a final acquittal under Section 36(9) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, which provides non-derogable protection against double jeopardy.

“No person acquitted by a competent court can be retried on the same charges or those with identical ingredients. Britain knows this, because they gave common-law to Nigeria.

The Supreme Court's December 15, 2023, ruling (FRN v. Kanu, SC/CR/1364/2022), which purportedly distinguished Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s discharge as a “procedural” rather than “merits-based” acquittal to allow retrial, is a sleight of hand that derogates from constitutional supremacy. Jurisdiction is the lifeblood of adjudication; without it, proceedings are a nullity ab initio, as per hornbook law (e.g., Madukolu v. Nkemdilim).

“No interpretive maneuver—even by the apex court—can override Section 36(9)’s ironclad guarantee, which trumps any per incuriam decision ignoring binding precedents like FRN v. Ifegwu. The November 2025 conviction is thus a constitutional nullity, enabling the state to benefit from its own illegality and eroding the rule of law for all Nigerians.”

While saying that IPOB has always maintained that its pursuit of self-determination is peaceful and in line with international law, the group stressed that the UK government itself declined to designate IPOB as a terrorist organization, recognizing the non-violent nature of the movement.

The group cited that the historical context of British hostility towards Biafra and the Igbo race cannot be ignored.

“Britain’s approach reflects unresolved legacies, including resistance to colonial rule such as the Ekumeku movement, the Aba Women’s Uprising of 1929, the Enugu coal miners’ struggles, and the Biafran War — events that underscore the Igbo people’s longstanding quest for dignity and justice.

“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu embodies principled, non-violent advocacy for these aspirations. His continued detention undermines Britain’s claimed commitment to human rights and the rule of law.”

IPOB further called on the United Nations, African Union, European Union, and United States to press Nigeria for full compliance with the UN Working Group Opinion No. 25/2022, the 2022 Nigerian Court of Appeal judgment, and the Federal High Court Umuahia ruling, including Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release.

It also urged British Government to provide robust consular and diplomatic intervention commensurate with its efforts in other high-profile cases, including public condemnation of the unlawful rendition and demands for compliance with international rulings.

It added: "British parliamentarians, human rights organizations, faith leaders, and the global Igbo diaspora to amplify calls for justice.

“Britain cannot publicly celebrate the freedom of one activist as a ‘top priority’ while offering mere statements for another British citizen whose detention has been ruled arbitrary and unlawful by the UN and multiple courts — especially when the disparity appears tied to faith and geopolitical alignment. Justice must be blind and equal. We demand fairness, transparency, and the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”

IPOB also reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful, legal, and democratic means in pursuing self-determination, saying that it will continue global advocacy until justice prevails.

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