Precious Nwonu, Enugu
An Israeli lawmaker, Afef Abbed, has called on the United Nations to revisit its 2022 opinion on the detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and press for the implementation of its recommendations.
Abbed, a member of Israel’s Knesset, made the call in a letter dated September 1, 2026, addressed to the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
He urged the UN to review the implementation of Opinion No. 25/2022 concerning Kanu and seek an official update from the Nigerian government on measures taken in response to the Working Group’s findings.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted Opinion No. 25/2022 in 2022 after examining circumstances surrounding Kanu’s arrest in Kenya and his subsequent transfer to Nigeria. The opinion is officially recorded as A/HRC/WGAD/2022/25.
The Working Group concluded in the opinion that Kanu’s deprivation of liberty was arbitrary and called on the governments of Nigeria and Kenya to take steps to remedy his situation without delay. It recommended his release, compensation and other forms of reparation in accordance with international law.
Abbed said the UN should continue monitoring the matter and encourage dialogue with the Nigerian government to ensure that proceedings involving Kanu comply with applicable international human rights standards and Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
He said the subsequent legal developments in Nigeria had not removed the need to consider the concerns raised in the Working Group’s 2022 opinion.
Kanu was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2025 on seven terrorism-related counts and sentenced to life imprisonment on several of the counts, alongside additional prison terms on others.
Abbed said Kanu’s conviction and sentence made it more important for relevant international mechanisms to examine whether the recommendations contained in the UN Working Group’s opinion had been implemented.
He also referred to legal proceedings concerning Kanu’s detention and transfer to Nigeria, arguing that they had raised questions about his fundamental rights and due process.
The Israeli lawmaker further expressed appreciation for what he described as the “professional and independent work” of the UN Working Group in examining Kanu’s case.
Abbed also referenced concerns raised over Kanu’s health and alleged inadequate access to medical care, saying such allegations involving the health and fundamental rights of a detainee should receive attention from relevant international human rights mechanisms.
His intervention comes amid continued calls from some individuals and groups for a review of Kanu’s case and his release.