President Bola Tinubu has come under heavy fire from three human rights and self-determination advocacy groups based in the United States for his independence day comments that compared the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to Boko Haram.
Advocates for Victims of Injustice and Discrimination (AVID) President Dr. Sylvester Onye, speaking on behalf of Rising Sun, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination jointly released a statement on Thursday, calling the President’s remarks “reckless, prejudicial, and sub judice.”
The groups claim that Tinubu was wrong to compare IPOB to Boko Haram, particularly as Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the organization’s leader, is still on trial at the Federal High Court and IPOB’s legal appeal is still pending before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The organizations said, “It is extremely regrettable that a sitting president would make such a divisive and untrue statement while legal proceedings are still in progress.”
In addition to being subjudice, this statement is an obvious attempt to taint the fairness of the proceedings and sway the verdict.
The groups contended that the president ought to concentrate on resolving Nigeria’s broader security issues instead.
“President Tinubu should focus his attention on violent armed groups that continue to uproot communities and claim lives throughout Nigeria, instead of obsessing over IPOB—a non-violent self-determination movement,” the statement said.
Additionally, they insisted that Nnamdi Kanu’s influence among his supporters would not be diminished by his protracted arrest.
“We remind President Tinubu that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu cannot be silenced or his popularity reduced by any amount of intimidation. Conversely, each day he is held in custody simply serves to increase his prominence, the organizations said.
The advocacy organizations encouraged the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Congress to carefully examine Nigeria’s government and make sure that democratic values are maintained.
They also urged the world community to denounce President Tinubu’s “reckless and prejudicial utterances” against IPOB.
Citing earlier court decisions in Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s favor, the organization called for his unconditional release and the accountability of Nigerian leaders for what they claim is “ethnic persecution under the guise of national security.”
The government’s current position may backfire, the statement cautioned.
“President Tinubu has only been able to demonstrate that the more he persecutes IPOB and imprisons Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the more powerful and well-liked both parties grow.
“The light of truth cannot be extinguished by prison walls, courtroom manipulations, or propaganda,” the groups declared.
