U.S.-Based Group Demands UK Accountability Over Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest, Conviction

U.S.-Based Group Demands UK Accountability Over Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest, Conviction

A United States–based advocacy group, the Rising Sun Foundation, has called on the United Kingdom government to demand accountability from Nigerian authorities over the arrest, rendition, and conviction of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s expected UK visit.

In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by its president, Dr. Maxwell Dede, the foundation urged British authorities not to allow the meeting between President Tinubu and King Charles III to proceed without first addressing what it described as Kanu’s “unlawful abduction and extraordinary rendition” in 2021.

“The only expectation we have is simple and just: that this visit must not pass without the United Kingdom demanding clear answers from the Nigerian authorities regarding the unlawful abduction of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the statement read.

Kanu, a British citizen, was arrested in Kenya in June 2021 and transferred to Nigeria under circumstances that drew international criticism and sparked human rights concerns. While the Nigerian government confirmed Kanu’s return, it has consistently rejected allegations that the transfer amounted to illegal rendition.

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According to the Rising Sun Foundation, the UK Foreign Office has, over nearly five years, sent multiple diplomatic communications to Nigeria seeking clarification on Kanu’s arrest and transfer, but has not received what it called a transparent or satisfactory response.

“For a British citizen traveling on a valid UK passport to be abducted from a third country and rendered to Nigeria without due process is a matter that demands urgent and serious attention,” Dr. Dede said. The group also accused the UK government of failing in its duty of care toward Kanu, arguing that political and economic interests should never override fundamental human rights.

“It is morally indefensible for the very state that created Nigeria, and which remains one of its principal political and economic partners, to abandon its duty of care toward a British citizen simply because of political convenience or historic hostility toward the Biafran cause,” the statement added.

The Rising Sun Foundation further raised concerns over what it described as credible reports about the aircraft and logistical arrangements allegedly used in Kanu’s transfer, suggesting possible international complicity. “The continued silence and inaction of the UK authorities, coupled with these reports, have deepened public suspicion that powerful international actors may have been aware of, or complicit in, the operation,” Dr. Dede said.

The group outlined specific demands it wants the UK government and the British monarch to pursue during President Tinubu’s visit, including a full public explanation from Nigerian authorities, clarification of the legal basis for Kanu’s arrest in Kenya, and the establishment of an independent inquiry if satisfactory answers are not provided.

“If the United Kingdom wishes to demonstrate that it was not a silent partner—or worse, an instigator—in the unlawful abduction of its own citizen, then this visit presents a clear and unavoidable test,” the statement said.

Dr. Dede concluded, “The world is watching. Justice demands answers.”

This call follows pressure from diaspora groups, civil society organisations, and human rights advocates who have repeatedly raised concerns about Kanu’s treatment and the international ramifications of his rendition and life imprisonment in November 2025, arguing that it violated extradition norms, international law, and human rights conventions. (independent.ng, thewhistler.ng)

U.S.-Based Group Demands UK Accountability Over Nnamdi Kanu’s Arrest, Conviction