World Igbo Congress on Tuesday called on the government of the United Kingdom to ensure it defends one of its citizens, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, who was illegally extradited from a foreign country to Nigeria.
The WIC, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Basil Onwukwe, and Chairman, Anthony Ejiofor, said that Kanu’s arrest has once again proved that the President Muhammadu Buhari led government’s favourable disposition towards Boko Haram insurgents and bandits who kill and maim people.
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They noted that, while the Northern criminals get arrested and subsequently compensated, innocent Igbo citizens are treated unfairly, ‘subjected to massive shoot-on-sight order, arrests and abduction’.
The statement reads, “World Igbo Congress (WIC) has been briefed on the abduction and arraignment of Nnamdi Kanu in Nigeria and that court hearing is scheduled for July 26, 2021.
“It has also been confirmed to us that Nnamdi Kanu, a British citizen, was abducted in a country other than the United Kingdom to which he travelled on a British passport.
“Consequently, this raises the spectre of illegal abduction and international gangsterism that violates the spirit of the process of extradition.
“World Igbo Congress, therefore, calls on the Nigerian Government to ensure that Nnamdi Kanu is treated in accordance with the rules and international conventions that guarantee that his rights and personal safety are protected.
“The British government should stand up and defend the right of her citizen. The UK government needs to investigate the collusion of any other country or party in this saga.
“The government of the US, the UN, and the international community should take note of the ongoing abuse of human rights in Nigeria including this matter of abduction of Nnamdi Kanu.
“The Igbo at home and abroad should see this as a continuation of the different strokes for different folks, which has characterised the approach of the current administration of the Federal Government of Nigeria in dealing with national issues.
“The world has taken notice of the disparity in the treatment of Boko Haram insurgents and Fulani herdsmen who have been designated as terrorists by known international agencies.
“These killers are routinely arrested, compensated, released, and oftentimes absorbed into the Nigerian security services. On the other hand, the Igbo has been subjected to massive shoot-on-sight orders, arrests, and abductions.
“We would like to emphasise that no government in the world or any international security agency has designated IPOB as a terrorist organisation and Nnamdi Kanu is not on any terrorist watchlist anywhere in the world.
“All Igbo worldwide shoul remain calm. The rights of the Igbo must be protected and the Igbo cannot be subjugated forever.”