HUMAN rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has met with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja to discuss the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, October 10, Sowore said Jonathan “agreed that there is an urgent and compelling need to address this matter decisively and justly.”
“I thank him sincerely for recognising the importance of resolving Kanu’s case in the interest of peace, fairness, and national healing,” Sowore wrote.
He added that Jonathan had promised to meet with President Bola Tinubu to discuss the matter.
According to Sowore, the former president’s position aligns him with “a growing list of Nigerians who have called for justice in Nnamdi Kanu’s case,” which he said already includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, human rights lawyer Femi Falana, senior advocate, and former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani, among others.
Sowore maintained that Kanu remains in detention “because he took up the just cause of confronting the long-standing issue of marginalisation in Nigeria.”
“Like other ethnic and regional activists whose politically motivated cases have been withdrawn or dismissed, Nnamdi Kanu should also be released without further delay,” he stated.
The activist also called on political, traditional, and religious leaders across Nigeria, including Labour Party’s Peter Obi, Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru, to join in demanding Kanu’s release.
Background
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of IPOB, was first arrested in 2015 on charges including treasonable felony and incitement.
He fled the country after being granted bail in 2017, but was later re-arrested in Kenya and repatriated to Nigeria in June 2021 under controversial circumstances.
Since then, he has remained in the custody of the State Security Services (SSS), despite multiple court rulings ordering his release or the discontinuation of his trial.
In October 2022, the Court of Appeal discharged and acquitted Kanu of terrorism charges, ruling that his extraordinary rendition from Kenya violated international law.
However, the federal government appealed the decision at the Supreme Court, which later ordered that his trial resume at the Federal High Court in 2023.
The ICIR reports that Kanu is facing a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism, treason, incitement, and defamation of Nigerian authorities. In a recent ruling, Justice Omotosho dismissed his no-case submission, holding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case warranting that he open his defence.
His trial has been marked by repeated adjournments, judicial recusals, and controversies surrounding his detention conditions and access to medical care.
The court is expected to decide on the next phase of proceedings after the submission of the Nigeria Medical Association’s (NMA) medical findings on October 16.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M