The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has asked Nigerians, especially the Igbo, to desist from begging for the release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

It expressed displeasure with reported calls for Kanu to be granted freedom as a political favour to boost the chances of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections, as well as the revival of the economy of the South-East region.

IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a statement, said the mode of appeal to the president by certain Nigerians for the release of Kanu “undermines the rule of law, and perpetuates the false narrative that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has committed any crime warranting mercy from a regime built on impunity.”

He added: “Let us be unequivocally clear: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a criminal in need of pardon. He is a prisoner of conscience, unlawfully abducted from Kenya on June 27, 2021, in blatant violation of Kenyan sovereignty, Nigeria’s Extradition Act 2004, and international treaties including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

“Both Kenyan and Nigerian courts have affirmed this criminal abduction: the Kenyan High Court ruled it illegal, and Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, in its subsisting judgment of October 13, 2022, discharged Mazi Nnamdi Kanu outright, declaring no Nigerian court has jurisdiction to try him due to the jurisdictional nullity caused by his rendition. This appellate discharge, grounded in fundamental defects, stands as a final acquittal under Nigerian jurisprudence—irrevocable unless explicitly stated ‘without prejudice,’ which it was not (Suleman v. FRN, 2018; Mohammed v. State, 2017).”

He further argued that the Supreme Court’s December 15, 2023, ruling, remitting the case for trial, “is a per incuriam travesty—a nullity that cannot override the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). Section 36(9) enshrines ironclad protection against double jeopardy.”

Powerful said that begging the president for Kanu’s release “portrays Nigeria as a lawless fiefdom where executive whims trump judicial finality. It signals weakness to our oppressors, implying Kanu is guilty when the law has exonerated him.”

He therefore warned well-meaning individuals, Igbo leaders, and the public to stop further begging of the president.