Bruce Fein, the International Counsel representing the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has once again called for Kanu’s immediate release after over two years in detention…CONTINUE READING....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
In an open letter addressed from Washington DC to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Fein implored for prompt adherence to the order issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, demanding Kanu’s unconditional release.
It is worth noting that in April 2022, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Binta Murtala Nyako, dismissed eight out of the 15 charges against the Biafra secessionist leader. Additionally, in October 2022, the Court of Appeal, led by Jummai Sankey, struck out the remaining charges and discharged Kanu.
Despite these legal developments, the Federal Government has continued to detain Kanu under the custody of the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) while pursuing an appeal at the Supreme Court.
Kanu’s detention stemmed from his extraordinary rendition from Kenya and subsequent handover to Nigerian authorities in June 2021. This incident prompted the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish a Working Group to investigate the case and issue appropriate directives.
Fein is leveraging the emergence of a new leadership in Nigeria, represented by Tinubu, to reiterate the call for Kanu’s release, with hopes that the new administration will be more receptive to a peaceful resolution as opposed to the previous hardline stance taken during former President Buhari’s tenure.
Addressing Tinubu, Fein stated, “You are faced with a choice between becoming a peacemaker or an enforcer. The former path could potentially lead to your recognition with a Nobel Prize, while the latter might consign you to the metaphorical ‘Seven Circles of Hell’ as depicted in Dante’s Divine Comedy.”
The American attorney accused the Buhari-led Nigerian government of exhibiting “lawlessness,” including the unlawful attempted assassination, abduction, and torture of Nnamdi Kanu before his recapture by Nigerian authorities.
Fein underscored, “On multiple occasions, the Nigerian government denied me the right to meet with my client or to be present in the courtroom during Nnamdi Kanu’s proceedings, despite my role as an observer (and not as a licensed Nigerian practitioner).”
He highlighted Nnamdi Kanu’s significance to the Biafran cause, drawing parallels with Nelson Mandela’s role in South Africa’s struggle for black liberation.
Fein emphasized that Nnamdi Kanu and his group are advocating for a referendum to protect their people from “the threat of herdsmen terrorists and the Nigerian Armed Forces,” asserting that they have the right, under international conventions, to peacefully pursue self-determination through their agitation.
