The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafran, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, says he remains committed to his advocacy that the people of the Southeast Nigeria should have the right to determine whether they want to remain in Nigeria’s structure or to leave.
Kanu stated this in an address presented on his behalf at the 2026 annual convention of the American Veterans of Igbo Descent held in Duluth, Georgia, United States, from October 9 to 11.
Kanu, in the address entitled “An Address to the American Veterans of Igbo Descent,” said he would not negotiate the existence of the Igbo people or accept political arrangements that fail to provide for a referendum on the Biafran sovereignty.
Quoting him, “I will not negotiate the existence of my people. I will discuss referendum and nothing else. My subject is one subject: the right of Biafrans to say, in a free vote, whether they will live as a people under their own roof. I am available for a referendum.”
Kanu distanced himself from alleged proposals based on political appointments, restructuring or another conference. According to him, such discussions would not address “the fundamental right of Biafrans to decide their future through a free vote”.
THE WHISTLER reports that Kanu is currently serving life imprisonment in Sokoto after being found guilty of treason. He has however appealed his conviction.
Kanu commended AVID for its support for his release and its efforts to draw international attention to his detention. He urged the Igbo veterans and other pro-Biafra organisations to sustain their campaign for his release and that of other Biafrans being unjustly detained.
He thanked the President of AVID, Dr Sylvester Onyia, for repeatedly travelling to Abuja to attend court proceedings during his detention. He said Onyia also visited him in hospital and continued advocating for his release when his case appeared to be losing public attention.
Kanu said, “You (Onyia) did not advocate from a safe distance. You travelled to Abuja again and again while I was held in solitary confinement.”
He also acknowledged the efforts of Rising Sun and Ambassadors for Self-Determination, noting that the group has been supporting his improved welfare.
The address added, “I expect you to continue that unflinching support for my release and for the release of every Biafran locked up unjustly. Do not grow weary. The work is not finished.”
Kanu claimed that the Nigerian government had interfered with IPOB’s internal leadership structure and attempted to create divisions within the organisation, adding that individuals he accused of betraying the movement had been removed from the organisation.
“When the Nigerian government succeeded in penetrating the Third Administration of our Directorate of State, many who once spoke loudly fell silent, or worse, became instruments of confusion,” he said, adding that, “That administration has been dissolved. Those who betrayed the family have been sacked and expelled from the IPOB worldwide family.”
He commended AVID for writing to British officials, including the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria, to raise concerns about his detention. He maintained that he was abducted in Kenya and unlawfully transferred to Nigeria.
According to him, “You put the United Kingdom on the record. History will remember who wrote and who looked away.”
Kanu also criticised the judicial for mishandling his case, describing the proceedings and the outcome as unjust. He affirmed that his prolonged detention and solitary confinement had failed to dampen his determination to pursue Biafran independence.
He said, “I have spent eight years of my life in detention in pursuit of the only goal that matters to me, and indeed to all of us: a peaceful homeland called Biafra. Not a slogan. A country. Not revenge. Safety. Not chaos. Order under our own law. I am not available for any bargain that leaves Biafra unnamed. I am available for a referendum. I am available for the work of a free people.”
