A coalition of United States-based human rights and self-determination advocacy organizations has strongly condemned President Bola Tinubu’s recent remarks comparing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) with Boko Haram, describing the statement as prejudicial and capable of undermining justice.
The joint statement was issued by AVID (Advocates for Victims of Injustice and Discrimination), Rising Sun, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination, and signed by Ambassador Sylvester Onye on behalf of the group, arguing that the President’s utterance “is not only sub judice, but a blatant attempt to poison the atmosphere of justice, intimidate the judiciary, and prejudice ongoing proceedings.”
The groups said it was “deeply unfortunate that a sitting president would make such a false and inflammatory statement while IPOB’s appeal is pending before the Supreme Court of Nigeria and while Mazi Nnamdi Kanu battles for his life before Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court.”
They further described IPOB as “a non-violent self-determination movement,” insisting that Tinubu should instead focus on addressing insecurity caused by violent groups in parts of the country.
“Rather than obsessing over IPOB, Tinubu should direct his energy towards terrorists and armed bandits who are ravaging Nigerian farmlands, displacing communities, and taking lives with impunity,” the statement read.
The coalition accused successive Nigerian governments of persecuting Kanu, warning that such actions only enhance his popularity.
“Envy and jealousy of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s popularity among his people will never succeed in silencing him. Every additional day of his detention only magnifies his stature and makes him even more beloved by millions at home and abroad,” they declared.
The groups invoked history, likening Kanu’s resilience to the struggles of past generations.
“History teaches us that the persecuted always outlive their persecutors. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu embodies the resilience of the Igbo nation. Just as the Eboe Landing martyrs chose honour over slavery, so too has Kanu chosen courage over submission,” the statement added.
They called on the United States Congress and the U.S. Department of State to support greater transparency in Nigeria and to press for Kanu’s release.
“We call on the international community to condemn Tinubu’s reckless and prejudicial utterances against IPOB, demand the immediate and unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and hold Nigeria’s ruling elites accountable for ethnic persecution disguised as national security,” the groups said.
Concluding, the coalition argued that the continued detention of the IPOB leader would ultimately strengthen his cause.
“President Tinubu has only succeeded in proving one thing: the more he persecutes IPOB and detains Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the stronger and more popular both become. No prison walls, no courtroom manipulations, and no executive propaganda can extinguish the light of truth.”
The Nigerian government has maintained its proscription of IPOB, while Kanu’s legal team continues to insist on his release, citing past court rulings in his favor.