The Nigerian government has refused to free its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, since he has not made concessions, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) said Thursday.
Because the group has not been crushed as the Nigerian government had hoped, IPOB said Kanu is being persecuted rather than prosecuted.
According to IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful, Kanu is still a prisoner of conscience and needs to be freed without conditions.
Part of a statement made by Powerful says: “The Directorate of State (DOS) of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), led by Nnamdi Kanu, wishes to remind the public and the international community that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, remains a prisoner of conscience in Nigeria’s custody.
“The Nigerian government and her cronies know that Mazi Kanu has not committed any crime known to local or international bodies but continue to display their ethnic hatred against Ndigbo by persecuting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. He has not been let go because he has not compromised his stand on Biafra, and IPOB has not been destroyed. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is being persecuted, not prosecuted.
“The Nigerian government should understand that IPOB cannot be destroyed but can only be emboldened as long as the lawless Nigerian government keeps persecuting us. Moreover, our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, understands the potency of our collective oath in this struggle and will not yield to the Nigerian government’s antics.
“The international community must rise and condemn the continuous persecution and human rights violations of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Ndigbo in general by the bigoted government of Nigeria. We assure the Nigerian government that IPOB cannot be intimidated into abandoning the Biafra struggle. They must be reminded that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s continuous persecution will further expose the mockery of the so-called democracy in Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government should not forget that since they kidnapped and extraordinary renditioned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Nigeria has been bedeviled with economic and security woes and will continue until the injustice against Ndigbo, as exemplified in the persecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is addressed.
“IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remain resolute in our demand for a referendum and will not be intimidated or persecuted into submission by the tyranny of the government of Nigeria. In the end, Biafra will come, but the wounds of the persecution and wickedness against Ndigbo will take decades to heal. Nigeria must consider the future with the wounds it inflicted on Biafrans in mind.”
