Three human rights advocacy groups in the United States have condemned President Bola Tinubu for comparing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to Boko Haram.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the groups said the President’s remarks were “reckless, prejudicial, and sub judice.”
The statement was signed by Dr. Sylvester Onye, President of Advocates for Victims of Injustice and Discrimination (AVID), on behalf of Rising Sun and Ambassadors for Self-Determination.
They described the comparison as inappropriate, noting that IPOB’s legal appeal remains pending at the Supreme Court, while its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, still faces trial at the Federal High Court.
“It is deeply unfortunate that a sitting president would make such a false and inflammatory statement while judicial proceedings are ongoing,” the groups said.
“This utterance is not only sub judice but also a blatant attempt to poison the atmosphere of justice and prejudice the outcome of the case.”
Focus Should Be On Violence
The organizations argued that the President should focus on Nigeria’s worsening security problems rather than IPOB.
“Rather than fixating on IPOB—a non-violent self-determination movement—President Tinubu should direct his attention to violent armed groups who continue to displace communities and take lives across Nigeria,” the statement added.
They insisted that detaining Nnamdi Kanu would not weaken him. “Every additional day of his detention only magnifies his stature,” they declared.
The groups called on the U.S. Congress and State Department to scrutinize Nigeria’s governance and ensure that democratic principles are respected. They also asked the international community to condemn what they termed “reckless and prejudicial utterances” by Tinubu.
They demanded Kanu’s unconditional release, citing previous court rulings in his favour and warning that government’s stance was counterproductive.
“President Tinubu has only succeeded in proving one thing: the more he persecutes IPOB and detains Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the stronger and more popular both become. No prison walls, no courtroom manipulations, and no propaganda can extinguish the light of truth,” they stated.
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