Respect UN Directive on Nnamdi Kanu’s Release, Counsel Urges Tinubu

Aloy Ejimakor, the special counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to honor a 2022 directive from the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group advocating for Kanu’s release.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Ejimakor emphasized that President Tinubu has an opportunity to distinguish himself from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, who disregarded the UN directive.

Kanu has been detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021. The UN Working Group, in a significant ruling from July 2022, called for Kanu’s immediate release and urged the Buhari administration to compensate him for his arrest and extradition from Kenya to Nigeria.

Ejimakor argued that Nigeria, as a member of international treaties and legal frameworks, is obligated to adhere to such rulings. “Nigeria is duty-bound to implement this decision fully and without delay,” he stated, adding that Kanu has endured over three years of detention with no legal justification.

He further urged Tinubu to release Kanu without requiring additional court orders, stressing that doing so would be a step toward respecting international law and human rights commitments.