The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has appealed to 21 foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations, including the United States, United Kingdom, United Nations, and European Union, to intervene in securing the release of its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a letter dated November 12, 2025, and titled “SOS – Urgent Global Humanitarian Intervention to End the Unlawful Detention and Torture of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” IPOB called for immediate global action over what it described as the unlawful and prolonged detention of Kanu since June 2021.
The letter was sent to embassies and high commissions in Abuja, including those of the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Canada, Russia, China, Israel, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Turkey, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, and Ethiopia. It was also addressed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the African Union.
According to IPOB, the appeal followed several diplomatic engagements highlighting the Nigerian government’s refusal to comply with court rulings and human rights pronouncements ordering Kanu’s release.
“This is a global SOS appeal for urgent humanitarian and diplomatic intervention in the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the group said.
The group claimed that Kanu’s health condition had worsened in custody and urged the international community to treat his case as a humanitarian emergency. It added that both the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and other international organizations had previously called for his freedom.
IPOB urged world powers to compel Nigeria to obey court orders, ensure Kanu’s welfare, and uphold due process in his ongoing trial.
