The American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) have urged the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to demand the immediate and unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who has been in detention for four years.
AVID also called on the United Kingdom to take decisive action in defense of Kanu, a British citizen, whose fundamental human rights, they claim, have been “flagrantly violated.”
In a statement released Tuesday in Abuja, AVID accused the Nigerian government of enabling ethnic cleansing while suppressing dissenting voices. They called on international media and human rights organizations to hold Nigerian authorities accountable.
Reacting to ongoing violence in Benue State and other parts of Nigeria, the group said Kanu’s continued detention is fueling impunity and further violence, arguing that silence from the global community would be tantamount to complicity.
The statement, signed by AVID President Dr. Sylvester Onyia and titled “A Genocide in Slow Motion: Nigeria’s Continued Detention of Nnamdi Kanu Enables Widespread Atrocities,” reads in part:
“The American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) wish to draw urgent global attention to atrocities in Benue State and other indigenous regions of Nigeria. These massacres are part of a sustained ethnic cleansing campaign that has escalated since the illegal abduction and detention of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Mazi Kanu, a British citizen and leading advocate for indigenous self-determination, was extrajudicially renditioned from Kenya in 2021 in violation of international law. His continued detention, despite multiple court rulings ordering his release, is not legal oversight—it reflects a broader plan to suppress resistance against armed Fulani expansionism and subjugate indigenous populations.
The recent mass killings in Benue State underscore the consequences of silencing voices of truth. Mazi Kanu consistently warned of this unfolding crisis—an orchestrated campaign of terror masked as herdsmen conflict.
Instead of being heard, he was branded a terrorist, while the real perpetrators of violence continue unchecked. The world must now ask: Why is a peaceful advocate for self-determination imprisoned, while those fueling terror roam free?
World Environment Day: ACI, partners stage Walk for Sustainability, Recycling
Why is the Nigerian government more committed to crushing dissent than protecting innocent lives? And what responsibility do international actors bear for their silence in the face of this slow-motion genocide?”
AVID concluded by insisting that Kanu’s continued incarceration signals a green light for further atrocities, urging the global community not to remain indifferent.
