The United Igbo Elders Council (UNIEC) Worldwide has urged President Bola Tinubu to order the immediate and unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In a statement on Tuesday, UNIEC Director-General Alpha Ikpeama said Kanu’s prolonged detention despite multiple favourable court rulings threatens both his health and Nigeria’s unity.
Kanu, first arrested in 2015 and charged with treason, terrorism, and managing an unlawful society, was granted bail in 2017 but fled abroad after a military raid on his Umuahia residence. He was later seized in Kenya in June 2021 in what his supporters describe as an extraordinary rendition, and has since remained in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The elders highlighted a string of court rulings against his detention, including verdicts by the UN Human Rights Group (2022), the Court of Appeal in Abuja (2022), the Federal High Court in Umuahia (2022), and most recently the High Court of Kenya (2025).
UNIEC warned that Kanu’s health has deteriorated critically.
“On September 17, 2025, his lawyers revealed that he is battling dangerously low potassium levels and other complications that could trigger heart failure,” the statement noted.
The group accused past administrations of marginalising the Igbo, and faulted Tinubu’s government for allowing the “injustice” to continue.
“Unity must not only be in theory; it must be reflected in practice,” the elders declared.
They also decried what they described as double standards, noting that other agitators such as Sunday Igboho and Ibrahim El-Zakzaky have regained freedom while Kanu remains behind bars.
UNIEC called on Ohanaeze Ndigbo, South-East governors, traditional rulers, church leaders, youth, and civil society groups to rally for Kanu’s release.
“Today it is Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; tomorrow it could be any one of us. Injustice to one is injustice to all,” the council said.
The elders warned that if justice and fairness cannot be guaranteed, the Igbo should be allowed to “determine their own path peacefully.”
