Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed support for a planned public protest calling for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Atiku described Kanu’s continued detention as “a sore on Nigeria’s conscience” and “a stain on the country’s belief in the rule of law.”
His comments came after activist Omoyele Sowore announced plans for a demonstration in Abuja to demand Kanu’s release.
Kanu has been in detention since 2021, following his rearrest in Kenya and subsequent repatriation to Nigeria. Despite several court rulings ordering his release, he remains in custody while facing terrorism-related charges before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a statement on Thursday, Atiku said the refusal to comply with court orders granting Kanu bail amounted to an “abuse of power and an assault on justice.”
“The continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains an open sore on our nation’s conscience and a stain on our belief in the rule of law.
Defying court orders that granted him bail is an abuse of power and an assault on justice,” Atiku said.
He added that he fully supported Sowore’s campaign for Kanu’s immediate release or lawful prosecution, stressing that Nigeria must not allow the case to deepen existing divisions.
“We fail as patriots if we allow Kanu’s case to fester as yet another wound this nation refuses to heal,” he stated.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, a separatist group led by Kanu, has long agitated for the creation of an independent state in the South-East region. The government has since proscribed the group and labelled it a terrorist organisation, a classification its supporters strongly reject.
Kanu’s prolonged detention has sparked repeated calls from politicians, civil society groups, and international human rights organisations for his release, citing violations of due process and human rights.