President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged by Ndi Igbo in Germany and Nigerians living abroad to show mercy by pardoning Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
On Friday, National Coordinator Benjamin Chinaka and Secretary General Chinasa Ezeji jointly issued a communiqué outlining the request.
The petition came during the association’s emergency meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, on November 21, 2025, at which members voiced serious concerns about Kanu’s alleged life sentence from a Nigerian court.
The group said that the ruling might exacerbate the country’s precarious political situation and heighten ethnic tensions.
Nigeria is currently facing significant sociopolitical and security issues. This ruling could deepen ethnic differences and threaten democratic unity at such a sensitive time,” the statement said.
“We humbly request that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, use his constitutional right to mercy and pardon Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
Many of Kanu’s long-standing complaints, according to NIG, are a reflection of the frustrations of regular Nigerians, especially those in the South-East, who feel insecure, politically excluded, and economically disadvantaged within the country’s current structure.
Releasing Kanu might be a crucial step in restoring confidence in the Nigerian project, the organization said, urging President Tinubu to “take a magnanimous decision in the interest of national unity, peace, and stability.”
In response to separatist agitations and regional unrest in South-East Nigeria, there are increasing appeals both domestically and internationally for a reconciliatory approach.
According to reports, Kanu was taken to the Sokoto Correctional Facility after being found guilty of terrorism-related offenses and given a life sentence by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court.
