From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), a group of retired American military personnel of Igbo descent has told the international community, human rights organizations, and global democratic institutions that the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu has remained the reason of the ongoing atrocities occurring in Benue State and other indigenous regions of Nigeria.
In a statement signed by Sylvester Onyia, AVID President, the group said Kanu’s continued detention is the green light for more massacres and called on the global community not stay silent.
The statement read in part,”These massacres are part of a sustained ethnic cleansing campaign that has accelerated since the illegal abduction and detention of Nnamdi Kanu.
“Kanu, a British citizen and prominent voice for indigenous self-determination, was extra-judicially renditioned from Kenya in 2021 in clear violation of international law.
“His continued detention, despite multiple court orders for his release, is not a matter of legal oversight, it is
part of a broader, chilling plan to silence resistance against armed Fulani expansionism and enable the violent subjugation of indigenous communities.
“The latest mass killings in Benue State, have exposed the cost of silencing voices of truth. Kanu consistently warned of this impending horror; the planned domination of indigenous lands through state-sponsored terror disguised as herdsmen attacks.
“His prophetic warnings were ignored. Instead, he was labeled a terrorist, while the actual perpetrators of terror are emboldened by the Nigerian state.”
AVID said it is imperative the world know why a peaceful advocate of self-determination is in prison while Fulani militants roam free on the streets.
The group equally would want the global community to know why the Nigerian government is more focused on crushing dissent than protecting lives.
AVID called on the United Nations, African Union, and ECOWAS to intervene urgently and ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Kanu.