The Indigenous People of Biafra has petitioned 21 foreign missions and international bodies, including the United Nations, the United States, and the United Kingdom, seeking global intervention over what it described as the unlawful detention and torture of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a letter dated November 12, 2025, and titled “SOS – Urgent Global Humanitarian Intervention to End the Unlawful Detention and Torture of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” IPOB appealed to world powers to step in, alleging continued violation of court orders and international human rights rulings by the Nigerian government.
The group said the correspondence was sent to embassies and high commissions in Abuja, including those of France, Germany, Canada, Russia, China, Israel, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, and Ethiopia, as well as the International Criminal Court and the African Union.
According to IPOB, the appeal was a follow-up to previous letters and diplomatic engagements aimed at drawing global attention to Kanu’s prolonged detention despite multiple judicial pronouncements ordering his release.
“This is a global SOS appeal for urgent humanitarian and diplomatic intervention in the unlawful abduction and continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who was kidnapped in Kenya and extra-judicially transferred to Nigeria in June 2021 — a clear violation of international law and the sovereignty of Kenya,” the group stated.
IPOB noted that the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had called for Kanu’s unconditional release but claimed the Federal Government had refused to comply.
“Despite rulings by Nigerian courts and several international human rights resolutions ordering his unconditional release, the Nigerian government continues to detain him in solitary confinement under inhumane conditions,” it added.
The group alleged that Kanu’s health had worsened in the custody of the Department of State Services, describing his situation as a “life-threatening emergency.”
“As of now, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s health has deteriorated gravely in DSS custody. His continued detention and the harassment of peaceful campaigners constitute a direct threat to human life, justice, and global peace,” IPOB said.
The pro-Biafra group urged world powers to ensure the enforcement of court orders, probe his alleged abduction from Kenya, and protect peaceful members of the movement.
It further demanded targeted sanctions against individuals and institutions it accused of violating human rights, urging the international community to investigate alleged crimes against humanity in Nigeria.
“The kidnapping of a lawful self-determination leader from another sovereign nation is not a domestic issue — it is international terrorism. Failure to act emboldens future violations against activists and journalists worldwide,” the group stated.
