Nnamdi Kanu’s Illness And the Urgent Need For International Attention

Nnamdi Kanu’s Illness And the Urgent Need For International Attention

Nnamdi Kanu’s Illness And the Urgent Need For International Attention

An urgent reminder and call to Amnesty International

In 2019, Amnesty International stood at the forefront in demanding justice for prisoners of conscience around the world. One such case was that of Huỳnh Trường Ca, who suffered severe health conditions including lung disease, stomach problems, and diabetes while imprisoned in Vietnam. Amnesty International not only reported the authorities’ failure to provide him with adequate treatment but also demanded his immediate and unconditional release.

Similarly, Amnesty International raised serious concerns over the case of Lê Thị Hồng Liên, a 21-year-old prisoner of conscience suffering from mental illness. She was transferred to Bien Hoa mental hospital, where at least her family could visit her. Amnesty International still insisted she be moved to a facility with proper medical care.

It is therefore deeply saddening and disappointing that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu—another prisoner of conscience—has been abandoned in silence. Unlike many freedom agitators around the world who have resorted to violence, Nnamdi Kanu and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have consistently chosen the path of non-violence. Yet, Amnesty International has neither raised its voice nor taken any visible action in his defense.

The Nigerian government continues to play recklessly with the life of one of Africa’s most courageous revolutionaries—a man who chose the pen over the bullet, and truth over propaganda. Why then has Nnamdi Kanu’s deteriorating health, under the custody of the DSS, been met with deafening silence from Amnesty International?

Why are the United Nations Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch, the European Union Legal Council, and Amnesty Africa all silent in the face of this glaring injustice? Has the global human rights community joined the compromised Nigerian media in looking the other way? Or have they been pressured, bribed, or intimidated into silence, while a prisoner of conscience is slowly killed by neglect in Nigeria’s custody?

If Huỳnh Trường Ca and Lê Thị Hồng Liên deserved urgent medical attention, and Amnesty International rightly advocated for them, then Mazi Nnamdi Kanu equally deserves that same advocacy and international pressure. Anything less is double standards.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is gravely ill and in urgent need of medical treatment. We call on all people of conscience, activists, legal practitioners, human rights organizations, and lovers of freedom everywhere to raise their voices. The Nigerian government’s intention to kill him slowly through medical neglect is clear. Allowing this to continue, while international rights bodies remain silent, is an unforgivable injustice.

Family Writers Press International