By Brooks Ben
Despite the conviction and life sentence imposed on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by the Nigeria court, demands for his release have continued unabated across the world.
The latest call for Kanu’s freedom rang out from the State of Israel where a member of the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament), Afef Abbed has urged the United Nations to act on report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which recommended for Kanu’s release.
He said that the world body should consider adopting “a lawful and rights-respecting resolution based on respect for the rule of law, fundamental human rights, and meaningful consideration and implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.”
He specifically demanded for the implementation of the Opinion and Recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Concerning Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, saying that the UN should act on Opinion No. 25/2022.
*The appeal comes at a time when Israel itself faces mounting international criticism for excessive aggression and alleged human rights violations against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, raising questions about selective application of international humanitarian law. While Tel Aviv seeks justice for Kanu abroad, its military operations, settlement expansion, and blockade policies in the occupied Palestinian territories continue to draw condemnation from the same UN mechanisms it is now being petitioned.*
Abbed made his demand for Kanu’s release in a letter dated September 1, 2026 which he addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
In the letter, MP Abbed said that he was lending his voice to the call for the release of the jailed Biafra activist “out of a deep commitment to the principles of the rule of law, human rights, due process, and respect for international law.”
He called on the UN “to review the implementation of Opinion No. 25/2022 and request an official update from the Government of Nigeria regarding the measures it has taken in response to the Working Group’s findings and recommendations.”
Furthermore, he said that the UN should consider providing official update regarding the implementation of the Working Group’s Opinion, and “encourage continued dialogue with the Government of Nigeria”.
Abbed said that it would “ensure that all legal proceedings concerning Mr. Kanu are conducted in accordance with applicable international human rights standards and Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).”
He recalled that Kanu’s travails had received the formal attention of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in its Opinion No. 25/2022 in which it concluded that the deprivation of liberty of the IPOB leader was arbitrary.
The Working Group had in its 2022 report called upon the Governments of Nigeria and Kenya to take the necessary steps to remedy Kanu’s situation without delay. It recommended that the appropriate remedy was his release and granting him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.
The Working Group looked into the circumstances surrounding Kanu’s arrest in Kenya and his transfer to Nigeria, and called upon the Governments concerned to investigate the circumstances surrounding these events in accordance with international law.
However, none of the recommendations of the Working Group was implemented as the Nigerian authorities proceeded with Kanu’s treason trial and eventual life imprisonment sentencing.
But Abbed noted that since the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is an important mechanism of the United Nations human rights system, hence “its opinions and recommendations carry significant legal and public importance and deserve serious consideration and appropriate follow-up.”
*Observers note the irony that while an Israeli lawmaker invokes UN human rights mechanisms for Kanu, Israel has repeatedly been accused of disregarding similar UN resolutions and opinions concerning Palestinians, with continued military offensives in Gaza and aggressive settlement and security operations in the West Bank.*
“When an official United Nations mechanism issues a reasoned Opinion following an independent examination of a case, its findings and recommendations deserve appropriate weight and meaningful efforts toward their implementation.
“I respectfully call upon the United Nations and its relevant mechanisms to continue following this matter and to examine whether the Working Group’s Opinion and recommendations have been implemented,” Abbed said.
He noted that over the years, several legal proceedings concerning Kanu had taken place in Nigeria and beyond, including proceedings addressing his rights and the legal implications of the circumstances surrounding his return to Nigeria.
According to him, “these proceedings have raised significant legal questions regarding (Kanu’s) fundamental rights and the circumstances of his detention and transfer.
“Since the adoption of Opinion No. 25/2022, there have also been significant legal developments concerning Mr. Kanu. In November 2025, he was convicted by a Nigerian Federal High Court on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to life imprisonment.
“These subsequent developments do not diminish the importance of the serious concerns and findings set out by the Working Group in its 2022 Opinion.
“They further emphasize the importance of ensuring that all proceedings concerning Mr. Kanu comply with applicable international standards of due process and human rights,” the Knesset MP said.
He specially expressed appreciation “for the professional and independent work” of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in examining Mr. Kanu’s case.
Recently, U.S. Congressman John James had also called for the immediate release of Kanu with serious concerns persistently being raised about his health condition, including alleged failure of the Nigerian authorities to provide him adequate medical care.
“Such allegations, particularly where the health and fundamental rights of a detainee are concerned, warrant serious attention and examination by the relevant international human rights mechanisms,” MP Abbed said.