Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), has claimed that Nigeria’s ongoing detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), reveals a longstanding bias against the Igbo people.
In a recent interview on “90Minutes Africa,” Sowore described Kanu’s situation as part of a deeper issue between the Nigerian state and the Igbo community.
“Nigeria has an Igbo problem,” Sowore said bluntly.
He likened the bias against the Igbo people to an inherited issue passed down through generations.
“It’s like when a father tells his children, ‘I have a problem with the Igbo. You must continue from there.’ This problem didn’t start today,” he said.
Nnamdi Kanu’s journey to detention has been controversial and widely publicized.
Kanu, a vocal supporter of Biafra, fled Nigeria in 2017 after the Nigerian military raided his residence.
He had been on bail at the time, facing charges of terrorism.
On June 27, 2021, he was arrested in Kenya by Interpol, acting alongside Nigerian security officials.
In what legal experts call “extraordinary rendition,” he was flown back to Nigeria to face trial.
However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja later declared Kanu’s extradition illegal and ordered his immediate release in October 2022.
The Nigerian government, however, refused to release Kanu and appealed the court’s ruling.
The case reached the Supreme Court, which acknowledged the illegality of Kanu’s rendition.
Despite this, the court upheld the government’s right to continue prosecuting him on terrorism charges.
Kanu has remained in detention under the Department of State Services (DSS), facing seven charges related to terrorism.
This ongoing detention, Sowore argues, reflects a broader issue of injustice.
As a political activist himself, Sowore is no stranger to DSS custody, having been detained multiple times over his outspoken criticism of Nigerian leadership.
Sowore expressed his disappointment in President Bola Tinubu’s approach to Kanu’s case.
“I expected Tinubu’s first act as president would have been to release Nnamdi Kanu,” Sowore said.
“But the fact that it got worse shows there’s a conspiracy here. This isn’t just about the law.”
Sowore believes that even some elite members of the Igbo community may be complicit in Kanu’s detention.
He revealed that discussions about Kanu’s release were allegedly postponed until after the 2023 elections, based on agreements made by influential Igbo figures.
“And now, after the election, it seems the devil himself is at work,” he added.
Sowore also criticized the Nigerian judiciary, arguing that it cannot deliver justice for Kanu under the current system.
“Kanu is essentially the official prisoner of whoever is the president of Nigeria,” he said.
“He’s in detention at the president’s discretion. The courts aren’t free to act on their own here.”
He further argued that Kanu’s treatment highlights the government’s selective approach to justice.
For Sowore, the bias is clear: “Kanu won’t get justice unless the government wants him to. They report his condition to the president daily. This isn’t normal.”
Sowore’s words have added fuel to a heated national debate.
Many Nigerians see Kanu’s detention as a significant human rights issue, while others argue that his stance on Biafra has escalated tension between regions.
Kanu’s supporters view him as a freedom fighter.
They argue that he represents the frustrations of Igbo communities who feel marginalized.
His calls for an independent Biafra echo sentiments from Nigeria’s Civil War era, which ended in 1970 but left scars on the nation’s unity.
Kanu’s opponents, however, view him as a threat to national security, citing his often fiery speeches.
The Nigerian government has labeled IPOB a terrorist organization, further intensifying the rift.
But Sowore insists that the country’s “Igbo problem” goes beyond Kanu’s actions or IPOB’s ideology.
“This is about justice and equality. Nigeria can’t move forward if we keep acting like one group deserves less,” he said.
Kanu’s legal battles, he argues, symbolize a larger struggle for fairness and national unity.
Sowore is not the only public figure voicing concern over Kanu’s detention.
Human rights organizations, both in Nigeria and abroad, have raised alarms over Kanu’s treatment, calling it a violation of his rights and due process.
They argue that his rendition from Kenya violated international law, and that the Nigerian government’s defiance of court orders sets a dangerous precedent.
Amnesty International and other advocacy groups have called on Nigeria to respect judicial rulings and release Kanu.
