The American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), a U.S.-based group of Igbo veterans, have accused the United Kingdom of “premeditated collusion” with the Nigerian government in the ongoing detention and trial of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement titled “An Open Indictment: Britain’s Blood-Stained Hands in the Persecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu”, and signed by its President, Dr. Sylvester Onyia, the group accused the UK government of having abandoned its duty to protect one of its citizens in favour of political expediency.
“To the Government of the United Kingdom, its Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and the architects of its neocolonial duplicity: Your silence is not golden, it is crimson, stained with the blood of the innocent and the complicity of the coward,” the statement read.
AVID accused Britain of ignoring its responsibility despite Kanu’s status as a naturalised British citizen.
The group said, “For over four years, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a British citizen by naturalization, has languished in Nigerian detention, subjected to extraordinary rendition, torture, and a sham trial that mocks the very common law you bequeathed to your former colony.
“Yet, you remain aloof, unperturbed, hiding behind platitudes of non-interference while actively enabling a subversion of justice that reeks of historical vendetta.”
AVID linked Britain’s alleged indifference to what it described as a “genocidal legacy” dating back to the Nigerian Civil War.
“This is not mere indifference; it is premeditated collusion, a continuation of the genocidal legacy you inflicted on the Igbo people during the Biafran War, where your arms and diplomacy fueled the slaughter of millions,” AVID stated.
According to the group, Kanu’s abduction in Kenya on June 27, 2021, violated international law, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the UN Convention Against Torture.
“This ‘extraordinary rendition’ bypassed extradition treaties, Kenyan sovereignty, and basic human dignity. Where was your outrage?” AVID asked, accusing the UK of offering only a “performative whisper” before ignoring the matter entirely.
The group further alleged that British officials “coordinated” with Nigerian authorities in amending charges against Kanu shortly after a consular visit in October 2021.
“The timing screams collusion, a quiet nod from Whitehall to Abuja: ‘Proceed, we’ll look the other way,’” the group said.
On the UK’s stance that dual citizenship limits its ability to intervene, AVID countered, “British law and your own Consular Charter are clear: where a UK national faces unfair judicial or prosecutorial action abroad, making a fair hearing impossible, the Foreign Secretary must intervene to protect fundamental rights.”
The group cited alleged breaches of common law principles, accusing the UK of deliberately mischaracterising its obligations as “interference” to avoid action.
AVID accused Britain of encouraging Nigeria to ignore an October 2022 Court of Appeal ruling that discharged Kanu of all charges, claiming that UK diplomats promoted the idea that “discharge is not acquittal” to justify continued detention.
As Kanu’s health reportedly worsens in custody, the group warned that any death in detention would be tantamount to “state-sanctioned murder” with British complicity.
“If he is discharged again on October 10, 2025, will you once more urge Nigeria to ignore it, insisting only on conviction? Your actions suggest yes: conviction at any cost, to silence the Biafran cry that exposes your colonial Frankenstein as a failed experiment,” the statement read.
In its demands, AVID stated, “We demand nothing more than public accountability: Publicly condemn the rendition and demand Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s immediate release. Launch a parliamentary inquiry into your High Commissions’ roles in Nairobi and Abuja.
“Cease all support for this farce of a trial. And answer: Why does Britain, cradle of the rule of law, collude in the destruction of the rule of law in Nigeria? If Nnamdi Kanu perishes, his blood is on your hands, not as bystanders, but as enablers. The Igbo will remember, and the world will recoil from your perfidy.”
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