The American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) has appealed to the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to urgently demand the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who has remained in detention for four years.
AVID also called on the United Kingdom to intervene on behalf of Kanu, a British citizen, citing violations of his fundamental human rights and the illegality of his extradition from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021 — a move the group says contravenes international law.
In a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja and signed by its president, Dr. Sylvester Onyia, AVID accused the Nigerian government of using Kanu’s prolonged detention to suppress dissent while turning a blind eye to what it described as an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing, particularly in Benue State and other indigenous regions.
Titled “A Genocide in Slow Motion: Nigeria’s Continued Detention of Nnamdi Kanu Enables Widespread Atrocities”, the statement condemned the recent wave of killings in Benue as part of a broader strategy to silence opposition voices and enable violent expansionism.
“These massacres reflect a sustained ethnic cleansing campaign that has intensified since the illegal abduction and detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the statement read. “His detention, despite several court rulings ordering his release, is part of a calculated effort to eliminate resistance to the violent subjugation of indigenous communities.”
AVID further warned that Kanu’s warnings about the threat of armed groups disguised as herdsmen were ignored by authorities, who instead branded him a terrorist while emboldening the real perpetrators of violence.
“The latest killings in Benue expose the cost of silencing truth,” the group stated. “Why is a peaceful advocate of self-determination behind bars, while armed militias operate freely? Why is the government more focused on crushing dissent than protecting lives?”
AVID urged the international media, human rights bodies, and democratic institutions to hold the Nigerian government accountable, insisting that the world must not remain silent.
“Kanu’s continued detention signals a green light for further atrocities. The international community must act now to stop this slow-motion genocide,” the group concluded.
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