Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, says he met with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja to discuss the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In a post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, Sowore said the former president agreed on the urgent need to address Kanu’s case “decisively and justly.” He expressed gratitude to Jonathan for recognizing the importance of resolving the matter in the interest of peace, fairness, and national healing.
Sowore added that Jonathan assured him he would meet with President Bola Tinubu soon to discuss the issue.
“With this, former President Jonathan joins a growing list of Nigerians who have called for justice in Nnamdi Kanu’s case, a list that already includes ex–Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Femi Falana (SAN), Senator Shehu Sani, and many others across political and regional divides,” he wrote.
He described Kanu’s continued detention as unjust, arguing that the IPOB leader had only sought to challenge Nigeria’s long-standing issues of marginalization. Sowore maintained that, like other activists whose politically motivated cases have been dropped, Kanu should be released without delay.
The AAC leader also called on political, religious, and cultural figures—particularly from the South East—to join the campaign for Kanu’s release. He mentioned Peter Obi, Charles Soludo, Alex Otti, Francis Nwifuru, Peter Mbah, Hope Uzodinma, Oby Ezekwesili, and Ohaneze Ndigbo’s John Mbata among those he urged to support the cause.
“Nnamdi Kanu should be set free,” Sowore declared, adding that he remains committed to mobilizing peacefully for justice and freedom in the matter.
Kanu, the detained IPOB leader, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in 2021 after being brought back to Nigeria from Kenya. Despite several court rulings ordering his release, the federal government has yet to comply, drawing growing calls for his freedom from across Nigeria’s political and civil rights circles.
