The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has lauded the former United States Mayor of Blanco, Texas, Mike Arnold, for his support and persistent calls for his release from prison.

A statement by Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s counsel, quoted him in a message expressing gratitude to Arnold for his support and for “shedding light on the truth” about his person and the IPOB movement.

“Your commitment to the truth is commendable, and I often wonder how different things would be if more voices like yours had spoken up sooner,” Kanu was quoted as saying in a message he reportedly sent to the American.

The former Mayor had, In a recent statement, restated his call for the release of Kanu, describing him as a “prisoner of conscience”.

In the statement, Arnold argued that Kanu’s continued detention is politically motivated and reflects broader repression by the Nigerian government.

He noted that reports from Nigeria indicated that the aspects of the law underpinning Kanu’s conviction had been “nullified by an Enugu High Court in 2023″, raising concerns about the integrity of the prosecution.

Arnold, who questioned Nigeria’s legal process, recommended asylum and international protection for Kanu. He viewed Kanu’s case as evidence of “controversial legal handling, forced transfer, and questions around due process.”

Arnold presented a report highlighting Kanu’s “abduction from Kenya in June 2021”—described as an extraordinary rendition—and his subsequent transfer to Sokoto, about 800 kilometres from his base, “far from his family and legal counsel”.

According to the document, Kanu’s treatment reflects “selective justice and suppression of pro-Biafra voices,” especially when contrasted with what it described as leniency toward some individuals accused of incitement in Northern Nigeria.

“Nnamdi Kanu, a British-Nigerian broadcaster from London—illegally abducted from Kenya, tried under a defunct law, now serving life in Sokoto for words spoken in Great Britain.

“Meanwhile, a northern imam recently offered a N1 million bounty for the head of a pastor, then doubled it to taunt his critics. No charges. No official condemnation.

“The Nigerian government goes to great expense to ‘rehabilitate’ the killers, while millions of innocent displaced victims are denied, neglected, and dying.”

The report frames Kanu as a symbolic figure in the Biafra movement, which it links to longstanding grievances over political and economic marginalisation in the South-East.

Describing the Biafra agitation for which Kanu was jailed as a legitimate self-determination struggle, the document maintained that Nigeria’s current structure is unsustainable. (Daily Sun)

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