***Insists Rule of Law Must Stand
The Ndi-Igbo Worldwide Union (NIWU) has marshalled a series of court judgments and international legal opinions to reinforce its demand for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, declaring that Nigeria must return to the path of constitutionalism and the rule of law.
The union made the declaration in a statement announcing its emergence as a global socio-cultural, advocacy and humanitarian organisation committed to advancing and defending the collective interests of the Igbo people across the world.
In the statement, signed by its Chairman, Ben Nwankwo, and Secretary, Hon. Chief Charles Edemuzo, NIWU said it was compelled to act in response to what it described as deep-rooted injustice, marginalisation and institutional neglect directed at Ndi-Igbo.
It said the organisation would henceforth speak and intervene on issues affecting the Igbo nation, citing what it called the failure of existing structures to offer effective protection or representation.
According to the group, the Igbo nation—estimated at over 50 million people in Nigeria and more than 40 million in the diaspora—has endured systemic discrimination traceable to the colonial era and exacerbated by the aftermath of the 1967–1970 Nigeria–Biafra civil war.
NIWU recalled that despite the declaration of “no victor, no vanquished” at the end of the war, alongside the policy of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation, those pledges were never fully realised.
The group argued that the collapse of the post-war compact entrenched exclusion and laid the groundwork for renewed agitation for self-determination among successive generations of Igbos.
It pointed to what it described as glaring developmental imbalances, citing the absence of critical federal infrastructure in the South-East, including functional rail networks, seaports, cargo aviation facilities and gas pipelines.
NIWU also raised alarm over insecurity and religiously motivated violence, alleging that Christians—particularly Igbos and other minority groups—have borne a disproportionate share of attacks nationwide.
Referencing figures it said were affirmed by United States lawmakers, the union claimed that more than 52,000 Christians have been killed since 2009, thousands of churches destroyed, and over five million people displaced into internally displaced persons’ camps. It further alleged that more than 7,000 Christians were killed in 2025 alone as of June.
The group accused the Nigerian criminal justice system of disproportionately targeting Igbo youths, alleging that correctional facilities are overcrowded with young people detained on what it described as fabricated charges linked to IPOB or the Eastern Security Network (ESN), many of whom, it said, are held without trial.
NIWU maintained that the right to self-determination is recognised under Nigerian law and protected by international instruments, including the United Nations Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
Describing Nigeria as a polity where injustice has become institutionalised, the union cited the continued detention and prosecution of Nnamdi Kanu as emblematic of the problem, arguing that his trial lacked jurisdiction and was anchored on what it termed “law unknown to man.”
The group condemned what it described as Kanu’s abduction, torture and extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria, calling it a blatant violation of international law, an affront to Kenya’s sovereignty and an abuse of state power with extraterritorial implications.
Insisting that its position was rooted solely in justice and legality, NIWU listed several rulings and institutional decisions it said validated its stance. These include the January 19, 2022 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abia State holding the Federal Government liable for the 2017 invasion of Kanu’s residence; the October 26, 2022 Federal High Court ruling declaring his rendition from Kenya unlawful; a March 18, 2018 African Union resolution related to IPOB; the October 26, 2023 judgment of the Enugu State High Court voiding the proscription of IPOB; the July 22, 2022 opinion of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; and a Supreme Court ruling delivered in December 2023.
The union urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to rise to its historic duty of safeguarding constitutionalism and intervening decisively in defence of the rule of law.
“As a professional body, the NBA bears a shared responsibility to guarantee and protect the rights of every citizen,” the statement said.
NIWU also warned Igbo political elites against exploiting the situation for narrow political or personal advantage, cautioning that history and justice would ultimately render their verdict.
Addressing Igbo youths, the group said they had not failed their people but had instead been failed by leaders who traded collective destiny for self-interest. It urged them to remain committed to lawful, peaceful and principled engagement.
The union expressed confidence that the coming year could signal a turning point for the Igbo people, allowing them to reclaim their full place within Nigeria’s democratic space.
It called for an end to ethnic and religious violence nationwide and renewed its demand for the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu, urging all stakeholders to work towards a prosperous, united and secure Ala-Igbo.
