NEWS
Igbo Religious Leaders Warn Nigeria, UK Over Nnamdi Kanu Detention Amid Reported Push For Independence Referendums
Amid reports of renewed moves by Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to seek greater constitutional autonomy and possible independence referendums, a group of Igbo religious leaders has warned the governments of Nigeria and the United Kingdom about what it described as the consequences of refusing to listen to the call by Nnamdi Kanu for a referendum on Biafra.
The religious leaders, operating under the aegis of Concerned Igbo Ministers, said the reported developments in the United Kingdom should serve as a warning to both governments over what they described as the need to address questions surrounding self-determination through dialogue and democratic processes.
Emerging reports indicate that representatives of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, three of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom, are expected to discuss plans for a joint declaration demanding the right to hold independence referendums.
Such a development, if ultimately pursued and successful through the appropriate constitutional processes, could significantly reshape the political structure of the United Kingdom and potentially pave the way for the affected nations to become independent states.
The reported developments have also drawn attention from the South-East of Nigeria, where the issue of self-determination has remained a major political and social concern among supporters of the Biafra cause.
Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has consistently demanded a referendum to allow the people of the South-East and other territories he identifies with the Biafra project to determine their political future.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by Rev. Tony Uzor Anthony, the Concerned Igbo Ministers linked the reported developments in Britain to what they described as the British Government’s alleged collaboration with the Nigerian Government in the detention of Kanu.
Kanu is currently serving a life sentence in Sokoto prison following his conviction on terrorism-related charges brought against him by the Nigerian Government. His case has continued to generate intense debate, particularly among supporters of the Biafra movement, who have repeatedly demanded his release and a political resolution to the agitation.
The religious leaders said they had taken note of what they described as the unfolding self-determination movement in the United Kingdom, drawing a direct comparison between the demands emerging in Britain and Kanu’s longstanding call for a referendum.
“The gathered religious leaders of the South-East note with solemn attention the unfolding crisis in the United Kingdom, reports of constituent nations preparing to demand referendums on separation, and the deepening spiritual and civic disorder now visible in that land.
“We declare that these events are not chance. They are the outworking of the prophetic word and the spiritual authority of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. What Britain now feels is the weight of the curses laid upon her for persisting in alliance with the Nigerian state to keep an innocent man confined in the heart of the Caliphate.
“Nigeria and Britain have become as Pharaoh of old, who hardened his heart and refused to let the people go. They have treated the demand for a referendum as rebellion rather than as a just cry for freedom. Until Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released, both nations will continue to convulse in their pains.
“Onyendu is as the Ark of the Covenant that the enemies of Israel carried into the house of their god in mockery. The Lord broke the idol and brought down the temple.
“So shall it be. His incarceration is not the silencing of a man; it is the holding of a living covenant. That holding will not leave Nigeria or Britain unshaken,” the Concerned Igbo Ministers said.
The group subsequently outlined what it described as its immediate demands to the governments of Nigeria and the United Kingdom, insisting that Kanu’s detention should be brought to an end and that his demand for a referendum should be addressed.
“We therefore call on the governments of Nigeria and the United Kingdom:Release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu without further delay. Hear his demand for a referendum. Cease the policy of connivance that has kept him bound.”
The religious leaders further issued a warning over what they described as the possible consequences of continuing to detain Kanu, framing his case as one that extends beyond the individual and has become a symbol of the wider Biafra self-determination struggle.
“If they refuse, let them remember that the wrath that now touches Britain will not spare Nigeria. The year ahead will not be merciful to those who continue to detain the man whom God has raised.
“Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a private prisoner. He is a sign. Those who hold him hold fire. We stand in prayer and in public witness until justice is done and the captive is set
The statement adds another dimension to the longstanding controversy surrounding Kanu’s imprisonment, as religious leaders in the South-East increasingly frame his case within the broader debate over self-determination, political freedom and the right of communities to determine their constitutional future.
The comments also come against the backdrop of renewed attention to constitutional questions within the United Kingdom, where demands for greater autonomy and independence have remained recurring political issues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For supporters of the Biafra movement, developments involving self-determination debates elsewhere provide an opportunity to renew calls for what they consider a peaceful and democratic referendum. For the Nigerian Government, however, Kanu’s activities and the separatist agitation associated with IPOB have remained matters of national security and territorial integrity.
The contrasting positions have ensured that Kanu’s case remains one of the most closely watched political and legal issues connected to the South-East, with his supporters continuing to demand his release and a referendum, while the authorities maintain their position on the charges and conviction against him.