Rep. Jarvis Johnson has urged the US government to intervene in the ongoing detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, arguing that this is illegal and goes against UN opinion as well as many Nigerian court rulings that demand Kanu's immediate release.
It would be dishonest for the United States, which has defended democracy around the world, to remain silent while the government of Nigeria flagrantly disregards both domestic and international law, according to the Texas legislator who made the demand on January 9, 2023.
He alleged that genocide against her people had taken place in Nigeria.
Rep. Johnson argued that Kanu had done nothing wrong by calling for a referendum on the subject of independence while speaking for the rights of the oppressed Biafran people.
After Kanu's kidnapping and unusual extradition from Kenya, he claimed it was time for the United States to hold the Nigerian government accountable.
The statement made available to Prime 9ja Online read in part:” Mazi Kanu’s only offence is that he is the leading advocate for the freedom of all oppressed Nigerians and a referendum on the Biafran issue. The right to free speech, including political advocacy, is a cornerstone of all democracies.
“At a time when democracy is threatened globally, it is imperative that we all join hands to protect Mazi Kanu’s right to freedom of speech.
“The illegal kidnapping, torture, and solitary confinement of Mazi Kanu offends our democratic norms. So does the willful disobedience of the judgements of its courts by the Nigerian government.
“I am demanding the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The Government of Nigeria needs to comply with the UN Mandate and the Orders of its own Courts.
“The Nigerian government is carrying out another genocide, one citizen at a time. I am calling on the American Government to get involved in stopping this genocide.
“We have protected other countries around this world to help vulnerable populations; we need to do the same for Nigeria and it’s Biafran citizens.”
A member of Congress from the United States has called Kanu “the foremost Freedom Fighter for the rights of oppressed people in Nigeria,” and has stressed that he must not be allowed to endure any further hardship.
He expressed concern that, given his deteriorating health, he might perish in detention if the United States and the rest of the world did not take action.
“For over 19 months, after being kidnapped in Kenya, tortured, and illegally taken to Nigeria, he has been in solitary confinement. After deliberating on his matter in July 2022, a United Nations Working Group called for his unconditional release. The Nigerian government has not complied.
“On October 22, several Nigerian trial and Appeal courts acquitted and discharged him of all the bogus charges levied against him by the Nigerian government.
” The Nigerian Government has refused to obey the orders of its courts, and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains in solitary confinement enforced by its Secret Police.
“Mazi Kanu’s health conditions have been ignored by Nigeria’s Secret Police. He has been denied access to his doctors and to the regular supply of his medications. His health has increasingly detoriorated, and it is now feared that he may die in solitary confinement.”