A United States–based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa, has demanded the immediate release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that his continued detention violates both Nigerian and international law.
Fr. Odimmegwa, who serves as the coordinator of Rising Sun, a US-based nonprofit organisation, made the call in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to journalists, condemning what he described as the “shameful abuse of justice” surrounding Kanu’s prolonged incarceration.
“We, the people, are saying it loud and clear: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should not be in detention for one more day,” he declared.
“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.”
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of IPOB, has been in detention since June 2021 after he was forcibly returned to Nigeria from Kenya under controversial circumstances.
The Federal Government accused him of treasonable felony, terrorism, and incitement, alleging that his broadcasts incited violence and led to attacks on security agencies in parts of the South-East.
Kanu and his lawyers, however, maintain that he is a victim of unlawful rendition and that his arrest and trial violate the principle of territorial sovereignty and international conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.
In October 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja discharged and acquitted him of all charges, ruling that his extraordinary rendition was illegal and stripped the Federal High Court of jurisdiction to continue the trial.
The ruling was, however, stayed by the Supreme Court in December 2023, allowing the government to refile charges – a move that has drawn widespread criticism from rights groups and international observers.
In recent weeks, there have been renewed peaceful protests in parts of Abuja, Enugu, and Owerri, demanding Kanu’s release and compliance with the Appeal Court judgment.
At one such protest held in October, Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, described the continued detention as “an affront to justice and humanity.”
“The protest was not about ethnicity or politics,” Emmanuel said.
“It’s about justice. Nigerians from all walks of life came out because they know that if injustice can happen to one man, it can happen to anyone.”
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Free Nnamdi Kanu Now”, “Obey Court Orders”, and “Justice for One, Justice for All.”
Several rights organisations, including Amnesty International and the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), have also repeatedly urged the Nigerian government to respect court orders and release Kanu unconditionally.
Fr. Odimmegwa argued that Kanu’s trial was fundamentally flawed, noting that he was charged under a repealed legislation – the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 – which no longer exists in law.
“He was charged under a dead law. You cannot revive a repealed law to persecute someone,” he said.
“The Court of Appeal discharged him, yet the DSS keeps him locked up in total disregard for that ruling. And now the Supreme Court has abandoned its own principle of finality – when a higher court says ‘discharged’, that’s the end of the matter. But they bent the rules just to keep him trapped.”
Fr. Odimmegwa said Kanu’s rendition from Kenya in 2021 amounted to a “criminal abduction” and a gross violation of international law, warning that the failure of Nigerian authorities to respect the rule of law erodes public confidence in the justice system.
“According to the Appeal Court, no court in Nigeria can put MNK on trial because he was kidnapped from Kenya and brought forcefully to Nigeria. That amounts to a gross violation of international law,” he stated.
The group listed several breaches in Kanu’s case, including a lack of a valid charge, denial of a fair hearing, and double jeopardy, stressing that the government’s actions represent a wider threat to civil liberties in Nigeria.
“No valid charge exists. Fair hearing denied. Double jeopardy breached. The Supreme Court failed its own doctrine. International law is on his side,” the statement read.
“Justice cannot survive where the law is ignored. Freedom cannot breathe when truth is buried.”
Fr. Odimmegwa said the call for Kanu’s release was not an appeal for sympathy but a demand for justice and due process.
“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.
A nation cannot claim to uphold democracy while it jails people in defiance of its own courts,” the priest said.
“The world is watching. Justice must prevail.”
— Hotgist9ja Report