The United Igbo Elders Council (UNIEC) Worldwide on Tuesday appealed to President Bola Tinubu to order the immediate and unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The Director-General of UNIEC, Alpha Ikpeama, who made the appeal through a statement issued on Tuesday in , Kanu’s continued detention despite multiple court rulings in his favour poses a serious threat to his health and Nigeria’s unity.
The group said Kanu’s ordeal began in October 2015 when he was arrested in Lagos by the Department of State Services (DSS) and charged with treason, terrorism, and managing an unlawful society.
He was granted bail in 2017 but fled the country after soldiers invaded his Umuahia residence.
The elders recalled Kanu’s extraordinary rendition in June 2021, alleging that he was abducted in Kenya and flown to Nigeria, where he has remained in DSS custody.
They noted that several courts, including the UN Human Rights Group in 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja in 2022, the Federal High Court in Umuahia in 2022, and the High Court of Kenya in 2025, have ruled against his detention.
UNIEC warned that Kanu’s health has reached a critical stage.
“On September 17, 2025, his lawyers revealed that he is battling dangerously low potassium levels and other complications that could trigger heart failure,” the group said, just as it also accused the previous administration of targeting the Igbo, adding that Tinubu’s government has allowed the injustice to continue.
“Unity must not only be in theory; it must be reflected in practice,” the statement read.
The elders also decried what they described as double standards, saying other agitators such as Sunday Igboho and Ibrahim El-Zakzaky have regained freedom, while Kanu remains detained.
They urged Ohanaeze Ndigbo, south-east governors, traditional rulers, church leaders, youth, and civil society groups to speak with one voice in demanding Kanu’s release.
“Today it is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; tomorrow it could be any one of us. Injustice to one is injustice to all,” the group said, just as it also added that if Nigeria cannot guarantee justice and fairness to the Igbo, then the people should be allowed to determine their own path in peace.
