Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader, rejects calls for clemency, insisting his release should be based on legal rulings, not political appeals. He urges supporters to push for due process, citing a court judgment declaring his detention unconstitutional. Kanu maintains that self-determination is a fundamental right under Nigerian and international law.
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has rejected appeals for his release, stating that he should not be subjected to pleas for clemency or mercy.
His lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, relayed Kanu’s position, emphasizing that his detention had already been ruled unconstitutional by a Federal High Court. Kanu insists that his release should be based on legal compliance rather than political negotiations.
This comes after some South East leaders, including Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, urged President Bola Tinubu to free him. However, Kanu maintains that self-determination is a fundamental right recognized under Nigerian and international law, and he should not be criminalized for exercising it.
In a statement, Ejimakor clarified that Kanu’s legal team has been instructed to oppose any notion that his release would be an act of executive pardon. Instead, they argue that the government must respect both domestic and international rulings that have declared his detention illegal.
Kanu expressed appreciation for those advocating for peace and security in the South East but urged supporters to focus on ensuring his trial follows due process. He believes the government, not him, should be accountable for his extraordinary rendition, which violates international law.
He encouraged those seeking his release to adopt the legal approach used by groups like Ohaneze and the World Igbo Congress, rather than appealing for clemency, which he sees as legitimizing his continued detention.
