Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has endorsed a campaign led by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore calling for the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).1
According to recent reports, Sowore has announced a planned protest march to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on October 20 to demand justice and the rule of law in Kanu’s case.2 He has been reaching out to political leaders and stakeholders in the South-East to join the movement, including governors and prominent politicians.3
The Case for Release
In a statement shared on his verified X handle, Atiku Abubakar described Kanu’s continued detention as “an open sore on our nation’s conscience and a stain on our belief in the rule of law.”4 He condemned the defiance of court orders that had previously granted Kanu bail, calling it “an abuse of power and an assault on justice.”5 Atiku added that Nigeria would fail as a nation if it allowed the case to fester as “yet another wound this nation refuses to heal.”6
Background on the Detention
Nnamdi Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in 2021.7 This has sparked repeated legal battles and political appeals for his release.8 In October 2022, a Court of Appeal judgment discharged and acquitted him of all charges, but the Federal Government appealed the ruling and obtained a stay of execution from the Supreme Court, which has allowed his continued detention.9 He faces charges bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, and incitement before a Federal High Court in Abuja, which he has consistently denied.10
Sowore has stressed that the protest march would be peaceful and lawful, aimed at demanding justice and an end to what he has described as the persecution of Nnamdi Kanu.11 Atiku’s support for the campaign has reignited public debate over the government’s refusal to comply with multiple court rulings ordering Kanu’s release.12
