Counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, Aloy Ejimakor, has expressed optimism that the detained separatist leader will soon regain his freedom, citing the role of international support in the liberation of political prisoners.
Ejimakor made the assertion while drawing a comparison between Kanu’s legal battle and the imprisonment and eventual release of South African anti-apartheid leader, Nelson Mandela.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Ejimakor wrote: “On this #XTuesday for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, let all and sundry be reminded that every liberation leader imprisoned by a domestic court ultimately triumphed on the backing of the international community. Mandela is the best example, and MNK shall soon follow. #FreeNnamdiKanu.”
Kanu is currently serving a life sentence after he was convicted of terrorism-related offences and sentenced by the Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2025. His lawyer has said the defence will appeal the judgment.
Ejimakor also highlighted previous court judgments and international interventions involving Kanu and IPOB, which he said remain relevant to the group’s legal campaign for Kanu’s release.
Among them was a January 19, 2022 judgment of the Abia State High Court in Umuahia, which awarded N1 billion in damages to Kanu over the 2017 military invasion of his residence during Operation Python Dance II and ordered an apology.
In October 2022, the Federal High Court in Umuahia awarded Kanu N500 million in damages over his extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria. The court also ordered the Federal Government to restore him to his status before the rendition.
In October 2023, the Enugu State High Court declared the proscription of IPOB by the South-East Governors’ Forum illegal and unconstitutional and awarded N8 billion in damages to Kanu. The court also held that self-determination was not, in itself, a crime.
At the international level, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted Opinion No. 25/2022 concerning Kanu’s case. The opinion addressed his arrest, detention and extraordinary rendition involving Kenya and Nigeria and found violations relating to his deprivation of liberty.
Ejimakor and IPOB have repeatedly relied on these domestic and international proceedings in arguing that Kanu’s continued detention should be reviewed.
However, the judgments and international opinions cited by Kanu’s legal team have not resulted in his release. Following his November 2025 conviction and life sentence, his defence team announced plans to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
