An Israeli member of parliament has written to the United Nations calling for action on the conviction and continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
MK Afef Abbed, a Member of the Knesset, addressed the letter dated September 1, 2026, to the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. A copy was made available to journalists on Thursday.
Kanu was convicted in November 2025 on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the letter titled “Call for the Implementation of the Opinion and Recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Concerning Mr Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Abbed urged the UN to examine whether the recommendations in Opinion No. 25/2022 had been implemented.
The Working Group had concluded in 2022 that Kanu’s deprivation of liberty was arbitrary and called on the governments of Nigeria and Kenya to remedy the situation without delay.
“The Working Group stated that the appropriate remedy would be his immediate release and the granting of an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law,” Abbed said.
He noted that subsequent developments, including the 2025 conviction and life sentence, did not diminish the Working Group’s findings.
“These subsequent developments do not diminish the importance of the serious concerns and findings set out by the Working Group in its 2022 Opinion,” he said. “They further emphasise the importance of ensuring that all proceedings concerning Mr Kanu comply with applicable international standards of due process and human rights.”
Abbed requested that the UN review the implementation of the 2022 opinion, seek an official update from the Nigerian government and maintain monitoring of the case, including concerns over Kanu’s health and access to medical care.
“As a Member of the Knesset of the State of Israel, I believe that strengthening respect for international legal institutions and human rights mechanisms is a shared interest of all democratic societies,” he said.
