The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a statement accusing the British government of complicity and strategic silence regarding the extraordinary rendition and trial of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In an official press statement released on November 10, 2026, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, strongly criticised the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for maintaining diplomatic silence despite Kanu holding British citizenship.
The separatist group argued that Britain’s historical policy choices in Nigeria continue to prioritize geopolitical and economic interests over fundamental human rights standards.
Central to IPOB’s grievances is the circumstance surrounding Kanu’s arrest in East Africa. The group highlighted that Kanu had entered Kenya lawfully as a British citizen before being abducted in June 2021 at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi and extralegally rendered to Abuja, Nigeria.
Supporting their position, IPOB referenced UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 25/2022, which formally characterized the cross-border transfer as illegal and called for his immediate release.
Legal representatives have also pointed to significant judicial rulings to underscore their claims. Special Counsel Aloy Ejimakor noted in statements on October 19, 2026, that both the High Court of Kenya, via a ruling delivered by Justice E.C. Mwita on June 27, 2025, and Nigeria’s Court of Appeal on October 13, 2022, had explicitly declared the rendition unlawful.
Ejimakor sharply contrasted the UK government’s minimal consular visits for Kanu with its active diplomatic interventions in past high-profile rendition cases involving British national security and human rights.
Furthermore, IPOB has challenged the legal framework surrounding Kanu’s November 2025 terrorism conviction and life imprisonment sentence, asserting that the judgment violates Section 36(12) of the Nigerian Constitution due to statutory repeals.
In light of these developments, the group renewed its call for the British government to step in and make formal representations to the Nigerian authorities to expedite Kanu’s pending judicial appeal without further delay.
