The Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) has petitioned the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, an organ of the African Union based in Banjul, Gambia, concerning the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), by the Nigerian government, and the declaration of the restoration of an independent state of Biafra.
Jonathan Levy, a BRGIE attorney and international legal consultant, announced this during an online international press briefing on Friday.
This development comes as Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, ruled out a diplomatic resolution of Kanu’s case, stating on Friday that only the court would decide Kanu’s fate.
BRGIE, led by Simon Ekpa, has requested the African Commission to appoint a Special Rapporteur to address alleged economic and human rights abuses in the Southeastern region of Nigeria.
“The Commission is asked to take jurisdiction over the matter of Biafra on an urgent basis owing to the state of near armed conflict in the region; the BRGIE Sit at Home civil disobedience campaign and the continued unlawful detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and pro-Biafra supporters,” Levy stated.
BRGIE also informed the Commission about the ongoing Biafra Referendum, set to conclude at the end of November 2024, which is expected to result in the declaration of Biafra’s independence and the need for a swift governance transition.
“The BRGIE has advised the Commission and Nigeria that despite its best efforts to prevent civil strife and bloodshed, the legitimate rights of the Biafran people to self-determination shall no longer be thwarted by Nigeria’s security operatives,” Levy added.
The African Commission acknowledged the petition in a letter dated May 23, 2024, addressed to BRGIE by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, Gambia.
InfoStride News recalls that BRGIE, in a statement on May 8, condemned the alleged attack on the Igga community in the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State by security operatives, where several persons were reported killed.
The statement followed a report by an online news platform alleging that combined security operatives burnt down the community and killed some villagers.
According to the report, the attack followed the killing of two policemen and three members of the Enugu State Neighbourhood Watch Group by hoodlums in the area.
BRGIE described the development as an act of terrorism and human rights abuses.
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