To All the British Members of Parliament (MPs)

Nnamdi Kanu: Prisoner of Conscience

Uche Mefor (Deputy Leader, IPOB)

Nnamdi Kanu, the Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra is a human rights crusader and a prisoner of conscience who has been detained under inhumane prison conditions by the Nigerian State. His humans right and freedom of expression and association has been curtailed in a more discriminatory manner; and more importantly, he has been denied fair hearing and a fair trial.

According to articles 5, 6 and 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which in turn engages the provisions of the International Human Rights law, have been violated with impunity by the semi-dictatorial democracy leadership in Nigeria as it concerns Kanu. He was detained in Lagos on his arrival to Nigeria on the 14th day of October, 2015, and since then has been subjected to torture and all manner of inhumane and degrading treatment by the officers of the Nigerian Department of State Security (DSS), on the orders of the Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari. This violates article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and Convention on Torture, to which the British government is a signatory.

Need we remind you that he was charged to court on the 19th of October 2015 at Abuja, presided over by the Chief Magistrate, Honourable Shuaibu who finally discharged him of all the criminal charges against him, including the allegation of managing and belonging to an unlawful society, criminal and intimidation of criminal conspiracy. The Chief Magistrate went ahead to grant him bail of which all the conditions were met but the DSS refused to release him. From that date, through November 15, 2015, to this day, Nnamdi Kanu was discharged of all charges against him by the Nigerian government, including terrorism charges.

What is now a threat to world peace and established democracies around the world is the impunity with which the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari flouts court orders, circumvents the law and vowed that despite these court orders, he would proceed to detain Nnamdi Kanu. We want to remind the British government of her obligation to her citizen, Nnamdi Kanu who obviously would not get justice in Nigerian court due to excessive and undue interference in the court process by the Nigerian president. Today, the appeal court has again, on the insistence of the Nigerian presidency, denied Nnamdi Kanu bail and upheld the decision of the High Court to allow masked witnesses against him.

The same way that Britain wants to leave the EU is the same way the people of Biafra, led by Nnamdi Kanu want to leave the contraption called Nigeria. It is equally the same rights that the Scottish people have that they wanted to leave the United Kingdom that Biafrans have.

The culture of silence on the part of the British government in the circumstance evokes feelings of conspiracy. It is time for the British government to repatriate Nnamdi Kanu back to Britain. If he remains in Nigerian jail, he would be harmed BOTH physically and psychologically. The truth is that his continued detention or death would not be in anybody's interest. It would rather have serious and far-reaching consequences. It is now the duty of all Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom to deliberate and urgently come out with quick solution of this national question.

We urge all Biafrans to remain resolute and stand in solidarity with our leader, Nnamdi Kanu and in line with our established values ​​of absolute commitment to the Provisions of the International Human Rights standards.

Uche Mefor is Deputy Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).