![Political activist and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, Nnamdi Kanu. [Getty Images]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.ng/27072024/7d436e46-ede7-4034-896f-9b9dc6f004a8?operations=autocrop(800:480))
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The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has expressed strong confidence in his release by April 2025 while criticising Igbo political leaders for their lack of support.
This revelation came from Engr Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, the President-General of the Igbo Community Association (ICA) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who visited Kanu at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja.
Ezenekwe stated that Kanu appeared physically healthy and mentally strong despite his prolonged detention.
He reiterated Kanu’s faith in his legal team, affirming that the IPOB leader remains optimistic about securing freedom in the coming weeks.
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However, Kanu did not hesitate to condemn the silence of Igbo political elites, stressing that their failure to advocate for his release and the broader Igbo cause had deepened marginalisation.
“His sentiments evoked memories of past hardships endured by fellow freedom fighters, such as the neglect experienced by Ralph Uwazurike,” Ezenekwe noted, referencing another pro-Biafra activist who was imprisoned in the past.
Kanu's call for a referendum
![IPOB agitators take part in a demonstration in Rome near the British Embassy to call for the release of Nnamdi Kanu in Biafra, after he was detained in Nigeria on July 26, 2021 in Rome, Italy. [Getty Images]](https://image.api.sportal365.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.ng/27072024/c7d851ba-904b-427e-aa47-5a9ff8940ab5?operations=fit(1042:))
Kanu also used the meeting to renew his call for a referendum, stating that he had committed no crime other than urging the Igbo people to assert their rights.
“His unwavering confidence in his legal team and his hope for release by April 2025 resonated as a powerful testament to his dedication and fortitude,” Ezenekwe stated.
In his statement, Ezenekwe directly appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to demonstrate political will by facilitating Kanu’s release.
“I call on him to draw upon the spirit of democracy and commitment to justice that defined his own struggles,” he said, referring to Tinubu’s past as a pro-democracy activist.
He further emphasised that Kanu’s continued detention symbolised political repression rather than justice.
As Kanu awaits the outcome of his legal battle, his supporters are rallying for renewed advocacy, with growing calls for the Nigerian government to either release him or expedite judicial proceedings.
The coming weeks will determine whether Kanu’s optimism is well-founded or if his prolonged detention will continue to stir political tension in Nigeria’s Southeast.