US-Based Catholic Priest Demands Nnamdi Kanu’s Release, Says “He Was Abducted, Not Extradited”

A United States–based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa, has called for the immediate release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that his continued detention contravenes both Nigerian and international law.

Fr. Odimmegwa, who serves as the Coordinator of Rising Sun, a US-based nonprofit organization, made the demand in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to journalists. He condemned what he described as a “shameful abuse of justice” surrounding Kanu’s prolonged incarceration.

“We, the people, are saying it loud and clear: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu should not be in detention for one more day,” the priest declared.

“He was abducted, not extradited. The law is clear — when a man is taken illegally from another country, no court in Nigeria has any right to try him.”

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of IPOB, has been in detention since June 2021 after he was forcibly returned to Nigeria from Kenya under controversial circumstances.

The Federal Government accused him of treasonable felony, terrorism, and incitement, alleging that his broadcasts instigated violence and attacks on security agencies in parts of the South-East.

However, Kanu and his legal team maintain that he is a victim of unlawful rendition and that his arrest and trial violate the principle of territorial sovereignty and international conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.

In October 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja discharged and acquitted Kanu of all charges, ruling that his extraordinary rendition was illegal and that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to continue his trial.

The Supreme Court, however, stayed the ruling in December 2023, allowing the government to re-file charges — a move widely criticized by rights groups and international observers.

In recent weeks, renewed peaceful protests have taken place in Abuja, Enugu, and Owerri, demanding Kanu’s release and the enforcement of the Appeal Court judgment.

During one of the protests held in October, Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, described his continued detention as “an affront to justice and humanity.”

“The protest was not about ethnicity or politics,” Emmanuel said. “It’s about justice. Nigerians from all walks of life came out because they know that if injustice can happen to one man, it can happen to anyone.”

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Free Nnamdi Kanu Now,” “Obey Court Orders,” and “Justice for One, Justice for All.”

Several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), have repeatedly urged the Nigerian Government to respect court orders and release Kanu unconditionally.

Fr. Odimmegwa argued that Kanu’s trial was fundamentally flawed, noting that he was charged under a repealed law — the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act 2013 — which no longer exists in Nigeria’s legal framework.

“He was charged under a dead law. You cannot revive a repealed law to persecute someone,” he said.

“The Court of Appeal discharged him, yet the DSS keeps him locked up in total disregard of that ruling. And now the Supreme Court has abandoned its own principle of finality — when a higher court says ‘discharged,’ that’s the end of the matter. But they bent the rules just to keep him trapped.”

Fr. Odimmegwa further described Kanu’s rendition from Kenya in 2021 as a “criminal abduction” and a gross violation of international law, warning that the government’s disregard for court orders undermines public confidence in the justice system.

“According to the Appeal Court, no court in Nigeria can put MNK to trial because he was kidnapped from Kenya and brought forcefully to Nigeria. That amounts to a gross violation of international law,” he stated.

The group outlined several breaches in Kanu’s case, including lack of a valid charge, denial of fair hearing, and double jeopardy, stressing that the government’s actions pose a broader threat to civil liberties in Nigeria.

“No valid charge exists. Fair hearing denied. Double jeopardy breached. The Supreme Court failed its own doctrine. International law is on his side,” the statement read.

“Justice cannot survive where the law is ignored. Freedom cannot breathe when truth is buried.”

Fr. Odimmegwa emphasized that the call for Kanu’s release is not an appeal for sympathy but a demand for justice and due process.

“We are not asking for favours — we are demanding justice under the law,” he said.

“If one man’s rights can be trampled, no one is safe. Justice for one is justice for all.

“A nation cannot claim to uphold democracy while it jails people in defiance of its own courts,” the priest said.

“The world is watching. Justice must prevail,” he concluded.