A socio-cultural group, the Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF) Worldwide, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing him as a prisoner of conscience.

The group said Kanu committed no crime but merely agitated against the marginalization of the Igbo people in Nigeria.

In a statement signed by its Chairman and Founder, Chief Augustine Chukwudum, NUF condemned Kanu’s continued detention, describing it as an “unlawful and unjust treatment” against the entire Igbo race.

According to Chukwudum, the Federal Government’s refusal to release Kanu despite court orders granting him bail reinforces the perception of systemic marginalization of Ndigbo in the country.

“What is going on shows that Ndigbo are not accepted in this country called Nigeria. Government is allegedly paying bandits, Boko Haram and other terrorists who kill innocent citizens, training and employing them in the armed forces, while someone who only demands justice for his people is being kept incommunicado,” he said.

He accused the government of double standards, noting that while violent groups in the North are often pardoned and reintegrated, peaceful agitators from the South-East are treated harshly.

“Whenever an Igbo man coughs, the government mobilizes all its security agencies against him, but keeps quiet when terrorists threaten national peace,” he added.

Chukwudum further alleged that the Federal Government’s disobedience of court rulings, including a Court of Appeal judgment ordering Kanu’s release, was proof that Ndigbo are not treated equally in Nigeria.

“NUF therefore renews its call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, because we all know he is innocent. The only ‘crime’ he committed is being an Igbo man,” he said.

The group also called on National Assembly members from the South-East, as well as Igbo-speaking legislators from Delta and Rivers States, to boycott plenary sessions in protest against Kanu’s continued detention.

Similarly, NUF urged all political appointees of Igbo extraction serving in President Tinubu’s administration to resign immediately as a show of solidarity.

“This will prove that they are genuinely concerned about Mazi Kanu’s release,” the statement concluded. (Vanguard)