•Incarcerated IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the British Government of hypocrisy and selective application of international law over its stance on Israel and the continued detention and prosecution of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The group was reacting to recent comments by the British Foreign Secretary concerning real estate development in Jerusalem, reports Saturday Independent.
IPOB’s spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, in a statement yesterday, said the group supports Israel and recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s “eternal and undivided capital.”
It accused Britain of applying different standards to international law, saying Britain cannot lecture Israel on international law while allegedly ignoring the findings and recommendations of United Nations human rights bodies concerning Kanu.
“The United Nations Human Rights Council, acting under the United Nations General Assembly, has officially indicted Nigeria for gross violations of international law and jus cogens norms in the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the group said.
The group alleged that the UN had determined that Kanu was subjected to torture and extraordinary rendition after being forcibly returned to Nigeria from Kenya in 2021.
“The UN Working Group explicitly called for his immediate release and payment of compensation for these grave violations. These are not the words of IPOB. These are the findings of the highest international human rights bodies,” the statement added.
It accused the British Government of failing to support the UN findings despite Kanu’s status as a British citizen.
“Rather than support this binding call for justice, Britain chose to assist Nigeria in defying international law,” it alleged.
“The same Britain now lecturing Israel about ‘international law’ turned a blind eye to the torture of a British citizen. The same Britain invoking legal principles against our Israeli brothers and sisters actively helped Nigeria circumvent those very principles when it concerned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
IPOB also criticised the British Foreign Secretary’s position on Israel, describing it as “entirely one-sided.”
The group accused the British Government of condemning Israel over construction near Jerusalem while allegedly failing to adequately address Palestinian terrorism, incitement and the Palestinian Authority’s “pay for slay” policy.
IPOB further claimed that what he described as a policy of blaming Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism had contributed to increased anti-Semitic hatred against Britain’s Jewish community.
On Israel, IPOB said it rejected what it described as the “patronising tone” of the British Government’s position.
“The Jewish people have the right to live throughout the historic and Biblical land of Israel. Jerusalem is Israel, and Israel is Jerusalem,” the statement said.
It also cited the Balfour Declaration, arguing that Britain had historically recognised the Jewish people’s right to the land.
The group said Britain, which he accused of maintaining control over territories outside its shores, lacked the moral authority to dictate where Jewish people should live in their historic homeland.
IPOB subsequently demanded what it described as consistency in Britain’s application of international law.
The group called on the British Government to publicly support the UN findings concerning Kanu, demand his release and compensation from the Nigerian Government, and end what it described as the selective application of international law based on political convenience.
“Britain must choose: respect international law for all, or be exposed as a hypocrite that uses law only as a weapon against its friends,” it said.
Kanu is serving a life sentence in Sokoto State on treason-related charges. He has denied the charges and has appealed against the sentence.
