The family of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has issued a scathing public statement accusing the British Government of complicity in what it describes as the unlawful rendition, torture, and ongoing political trial of their son by the Nigerian authorities.

In a strongly worded press release signed by Prince Emmanuel Kanu, spokesperson of the Kanu family, the United Kingdom was accused of playing a “blood-stained role” in enabling the extraordinary rendition of Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021, despite his status as a lawful British citizen.

The family referenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous words — “There comes a time when silence is betrayal” — to decry what they termed as Britain’s continued silence and betrayal in the face of gross violations of international law and human rights.

> “The same British Government that armed Nigeria to starve Biafran children to death now stands accused of a far more cowardly crime—the silent orchestration and diplomatic shielding of an illegal rendition, torture, and political show trial,” the statement read.

Accusations of International Collusion

The Kanu family alleged that the British High Commission in Nairobi failed to act during the abduction of Kanu, who was reportedly drugged and flown out of Kenya to Nigeria without due process. They further claimed the UK Foreign Office has since remained silent, effectively enabling Nigeria’s continued detention and prosecution of the IPOB leader.

Following consular visits to Kanu in the custody of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS), the family said Kanu asked a simple question that was never answered: “Why is the United Kingdom allowing a British citizen to be tried for broadcasts made in the UK, where both IPOB and Radio Biafra are lawful entities?”

Instead of a response, the family claimed, Nigeria quietly amended charges against Kanu, allegedly with the knowledge or support of UK authorities.

“Britain was not merely a bystander. Britain was a co-conspirator,” Prince Emmanuel Kanu asserted.

The statement also invoked Britain’s colonial legacy in Nigeria and its role during the Biafran War (1967–1970), accusing the UK of harboring deep-rooted resentment toward the Igbo people and their push for self-determination.

“This is not new. In 1968, they supplied the arms that killed Biafran children. In 2021, they supplied the silence that allowed their citizen to be kidnapped and tortured,” the family said.

They also criticized what they described as Britain’s “new colonial game” of judicial manipulation and diplomatic evasion, all aimed at silencing voices demanding justice for the people of Biafra.

Demands to the British Government

The Kanu family made four key demands to the UK government:

1. Publicly accept responsibility for complicity in the illegal rendition of Nnamdi Kanu.

2. Immediately demand his return to either the UK or Kenya.

3. Cease all support—diplomatic or legal—that sustains the ongoing trial in Nigeria.

4. Initiate a parliamentary inquiry into the roles played by the British High Commissions in Nairobi and Abuja.

They warned that should anything happen to Nnamdi Kanu while in custody, the United Kingdom would be held responsible for its silence and alleged betrayal.

“Their silence is not neutrality. It is an endorsement of tyranny. Let the earth tremble with this truth,” the statement concluded.

The latest declaration from the Kanu family intensifies international scrutiny of the prolonged detention and trial of Nnamdi Kanu, who has remained in Nigerian custody amid rising calls for his release from both local and international human rights groups.