An Israeli Member of Knesset has formally written to senior United Nations officials calling for the implementation of a 2022 UN Working Group opinion that declared the detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu arbitrary and recommended his immediate release.
MK Afef Abbed (also referred to as Afef Abed), a Likud member representing Israel’s non-Jewish sector, sent the letter dated September 1, 2026. It is addressed to the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
In the letter, Abbed cites Opinion No. 25/2022 of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. That opinion found Kanu’s deprivation of liberty arbitrary and called on the governments of Nigeria and Kenya to remedy the situation without delay. The appropriate remedy, the Working Group stated, would be Kanu’s immediate release together with an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations under international law. It also urged investigation of the circumstances of his arrest in Kenya and subsequent transfer to Nigeria.
Abbed notes that subsequent legal developments in Nigeria, including Kanu’s November 2025 conviction by a Federal High Court on terrorism-related charges and sentence to life imprisonment, do not diminish the importance of the Working Group’s findings. He emphasizes that all proceedings concerning Kanu must comply with international standards of due process and human rights.
The letter also references recent calls by U.S. Congressman John James for Kanu’s immediate release and raises serious concerns about the IPOB leader’s health. These include allegations that Nigerian authorities have failed to provide adequate medical care and have blocked access by his personal physician.
Abbed lists five specific steps he urges the UN bodies to consider:
1. Review the implementation of Opinion No. 25/2022 and request an official update from the Government of Nigeria on measures taken in response.
2. Provide an official public update (to the extent permitted under UN procedures) on the implementation of the Opinion and recommendations.
3. Encourage continued dialogue with Nigeria to ensure all legal proceedings comply with international human rights standards and Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
4. Maintain continued involvement and monitoring by relevant UN human rights mechanisms in light of new developments concerning Kanu’s rights and detention conditions.
5. Encourage a lawful and rights-respecting resolution based on the rule of law, fundamental human rights, and meaningful implementation of the Working Group’s recommendations.
The Israeli lawmaker frames his intervention as stemming from a commitment to the rule of law, human rights, due process, and respect for international law, stating that strengthening respect for UN human rights mechanisms is a shared interest of democratic societies.
