By Desire Uzochukwu
An Israeli member of the Knesset, MK Afef Abbed, has called on the United Nations to take renewed action on its 2022 opinion concerning the detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Abbed made the call in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
The lawmaker urged the UN to review Nigeria’s implementation of Opinion No. 25/2022, in which the Working Group called for Kanu’s immediate release, compensation and other forms of reparation.
The Working Group had also called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kanu’s arrest in Kenya and his subsequent transfer to Nigeria.
Abbed urged the UN to obtain an official update from the Nigerian government on measures taken to implement the recommendations and consider issuing a public update on the status of the matter.
He further called for continued UN engagement to ensure that proceedings involving Kanu comply with international human rights standards and Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The Israeli parliamentarian also urged continued monitoring of Kanu’s fundamental rights, due process and conditions of detention, particularly in relation to allegations concerning his health and access to adequate medical care.
Abbed noted that Kanu’s conviction and life sentence by a Nigerian Federal High Court in November 2025 did not, in his view, resolve the concerns raised in the UN’s 2022 opinion.
He also referred to a recent call by US Congressman John James for Kanu’s release.
The lawmaker said findings and recommendations arising from independent UN examinations should receive appropriate consideration, urging efforts toward their implementation and a lawful resolution of Kanu’s case consistent with human rights standards.
