Biafra: Former US Mayor, Arnold calls for Kanu’s release
By John Okezie
A former Mayor of Blanco, Texas, Mike Arnold, has called for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, describing him as “a prisoner of conscience.”
In a statement, Arnold argued that Kanu’s continued detention is politically motivated and reflects broader repression by the Nigerian government.
He noted that reports from Nigeria indicated that the aspects of the law underpinning Kanu’s conviction had been “nullified by an Enugu High Court in 2023,” raising concerns about the integrity of the prosecution.
Arnold who questioned Nigeria’s legal process, recommended asylum and international protection for Kanu.
He sees Kanu’s case as evidence of “controversial legal handling, forced transfer, and questions around due process.”
Arnold presented a report highlighting Kanu’s “abduction from Kenya in June 2021”—described as an extraordinary rendition—and his subsequent transfer to Sokoto, about 800 kilometres from his base, “far from his family and legal counsel.”
According to the document, Kanu’s treatment reflects “selective justice and suppression of pro-Biafra voices,” especially when contrasted with what it described as leniency toward some individuals accused of incitement in Northern Nigeria.
“Nnamdi Kanu, British-Nigerian broadcaster from London — illegally abducted from Kenya, tried under a defunct law, now serving life in Sokoto for words spoken in Great Britain.
“Meanwhile, a northern Imam recently offered a N1m bounty for the head of a pastor, then doubled it to taunt his critics. No charges. No official condemnation.
“The Nigerian government goes to great expense to “rehabilitate” the killers, while millions of innocent displaced victims are denied, neglected, and dying.”
The report frames Kanu as a symbolic figure in the Biafra movement, which it links to longstanding grievances over political and economic marginalization in the South-East.
Describing Biafra agitation for which Kanu was hailed as a legitimate self-determination struggle, the document maintained that Nigeria’s current structure is unsustainable.
