Kanu’s counsel accuses British high commissioner of sabotaging release

The United States of America-based International Counsel and spokesman for Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Bruce Fein, has faulted the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, on Kanu’s unconditional release from detention by Nigerian government.

Fein, in his letter to Laing, dated February 10, 2023, alleged that the British High Commissioner is sabotaging Kanu’s unconditional release as mandated under jus cogens norms of international law, which is binding on all nations irrespective of consent.

Copy of Fein’s letter, which was made available to The Guardian, yesterday, by Kanu’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, was referenced, ‘RE: Sabotage of Immediate, Unconditional Release of United Kingdom (UK) Citizen, Nnamdi Kanu, pursuant United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 25/2022.’

Fein, who is also Kanu’s international spokesman, told the high commissioner that “On July 20, 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued a unanimous opinion, addressing Kanu’s kidnapping, torture, extraordinary rendition and protracted detention without trial by Nigeria, acting in collusion with Kenya.”

And that among other things, the Working Group Opinion called on Nigeria to take urgent action to ensure immediate and unconditional release of Kanu, adding that the opinion cataloged the serial human rights violations of Nigeria and Kenya regarding Kanu.

According to Fein’s letter, the deprivations of Kanu’s liberty are in contravention of articles 2, 3, 7, 8, 9,10, 11, and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2, 9, 13, 14, 16, 19, and 26 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

While stating that the high commissioner has taken cynicism and hypocrisy to a new level, Fein added: “Your government has taken extreme umbrage at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s violation of international law in attacking Ukraine and committing war crimes.”

“But you have made the UK complicit in flouting international law like Putin by affirmatively encouraging the Nigerian government to continue its illegal detention of Kanu.”