A United States–based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa, has called for the immediate release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, describing his continued detention as a “shameful abuse of justice” and a violation of both Nigerian and international law.
Fr. Odimmegwa, who serves as the Coordinator of Rising Sun, a US-based nonprofit organization, made the demand in a statement issued on Sunday, insisting that the government has no legal basis to continue holding Kanu.
“We, the people, are saying it loud and clear: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should not be in detention for one more day,” he said. “He was abducted, not extradited. The law is clear — when a man is taken illegally from another country, no court in Nigeria has any right to try him.”
Kanu has remained in custody since June 2021 after he was forcibly returned to Nigeria from Kenya under controversial circumstances. The Federal Government has accused him of treasonable felony, terrorism, and incitement, alleging that his broadcasts led to violence and attacks on security formations in the South-East.
His legal team maintains, however, that he was a victim of unlawful rendition — a breach of Nigeria’s territorial sovereignty and international conventions.
In October 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja discharged and acquitted Kanu, ruling that his extraordinary rendition was illegal and stripped the Federal High Court of jurisdiction to continue his trial. But the Supreme Court later stayed the execution of that judgment in December 2023, allowing the Federal Government to re-file charges — a move widely criticised by rights groups.
Recent weeks have seen peaceful demonstrations in Abuja, Enugu, and Owerri, with protesters demanding compliance with the appellate court judgment. At one of the rallies, Kanu’s brother, Emmanuel, described the prolonged detention as “an affront to justice and humanity.”
“If injustice can happen to one man, it can happen to anyone,” he said, as protesters carried placards reading ‘Free Nnamdi Kanu Now’, ‘Obey Court Orders’, and ‘Justice for One, Justice for All’.
Amnesty International and the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) have also repeatedly urged the Federal Government to obey the court ruling and release the IPOB leader unconditionally.
Fr. Odimmegwa further argued that Kanu was being prosecuted under a repealed law — the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 — rendering the charges “legally defective.”
“He was charged under a dead law,” the cleric said. “The Court of Appeal discharged him, yet the DSS keeps him locked up in total disregard for that ruling.”
He added that the government’s refusal to comply with judicial orders undermines public confidence in the justice system.
“No valid charge exists. Fair hearing denied. Double jeopardy breached. The Supreme Court failed its own doctrine. Justice cannot survive where the law is ignored. Freedom cannot breathe when truth is buried.”
The priest maintained that the campaign for Kanu’s freedom is not about ethnicity or politics but about upholding the rule of law.
“We are not asking for favours — we are demanding justice under the law,” he said. “If one man’s rights can be trampled, no one is safe. Justice for one is justice for all. The world is watching. Justice must prevail.”
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