Rep. Jarvis Johnson, a member of the US Congress, has called on the US government to step in and stop Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s ongoing detention. According to Rep. Johnson, the IPOB leader is being held illegally in defiance of a UN opinion and numerous Nigerian court rulings that demand his immediate release.
In a statement dated January 9, 2023, the State of Texas congressman who made the demand claimed that it would be wrong for the US, which had previously defended democracy in other parts of the world, to watch helplessly as the Nigerian government flagrantly broke both domestic and international law.
He charged Nigeria with committing acts of genocide against its own people.
Rep. Johnson insisted that Kanu did nothing wrong by calling for a vote on the persecuted Biafrans’ right to self-determination.
He vehemently denounced Kanu’s kidnapping and exceptional extradition from Kenya, declaring that the US must now hold the Nigerian government accountable.
Kanu shouldn’t have to endure any more suffering, according to the US congressman who called him “the preeminent Freedom Fighter for the rights of oppressed people in Nigeria.”
He warned that he might die in detention following his worsening health condition should the US and the world fail to act.
“He has been held in solitary confinement for more than 19 months after being kidnapped in Kenya, tortured, and transported illegally to Nigeria. After considering his case, a United Nations Working Group urged for his unconditional release in July 2022. The Nigerian government disregarded the request.”
“On October 22, a number of Nigerian trial and appeal courts found him not guilty of all the false accusations brought against him by the Nigerian government.”
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu continues to be held in solitary confinement by the Secret Police of Nigeria because the Nigerian government has failed to follow the rulings of its own courts.
“Nigeria’s Secret Police have disregarded Mazi Kanu’s medical needs. His usual pharmaceutical supply and access to his doctors have been withheld. His health has gotten worse, and now there is concern that he could pass away in isolation.
The following was part of the statement provided to Vanguard: “Mazi Kanu’s main offense is that he is the leading supporter of both a referendum on the Biafran problem and the emancipation of all downtrodden Nigerians. All democracies are founded on the principle of free speech, which includes the right to political advocacy.
