The legal team recalled that the UN body, through its Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, had issued an opinion in July 2022 directing the Nigerian government to immediately release Kanu and provide him with an enforceable pathway to compensation for his “unlawful and extraordinary rendition” from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021.
A group of international legal experts under the banner of Pan African Forum Ltd & Associates has issued a pre-litigation notice to President Bola Tinubu, threatening to drag the Nigerian government to courts in London, United Kingdom, over the imprisonment of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In the notice dated April 14, 2026, the lawyers warned that they would pursue legal enforcement proceedings abroad if the Nigerian government fails to comply with a United Nations directive ordering Kanu’s release and compensation.
“We write as voluntary legal experts in international law, having voluntarily assumed the conduct of this matter, and hereby give formal notice of our intention to pursue all available legal avenues, including proceedings in the London courts, to enforce compliance with binding United Nations (UN) directives,” the notice read.
The legal team recalled that the UN body, through its Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, had issued an opinion in July 2022 directing the Nigerian government to immediately release Kanu and provide him with an enforceable pathway to compensation for his “unlawful and extraordinary rendition” from Kenya to Nigeria in June 2021.
Quoting from the 17-page opinion, the lawyers stated, “The Working Group considers that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be for the Government of Nigeria to release Mr. Kanu immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”
The lawyers maintained that the Working Group, described as a quasi-judicial body mandated to determine human rights complaints against states, issues decisions that are binding on all UN member states, including Nigeria.
They further argued that Nigeria’s obligations are reinforced by its ratification of key international instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both of which impose enforceable legal duties on the state.
“By settled constitutional and judicial authority, including decisions of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and competent international tribunals, ratification renders Nigeria fully bound by the provisions of the treaties it has adopted. This legal position is incontrovertible,” the notice stated.
The lawyers noted that although the opinion, issued on July 20, 2022, and transmitted to the Nigerian government two days later, was ignored by the administration of late former President Muhammadu Buhari, the obligation remains binding on the current government.
“Accordingly, Nigeria is under a continuing and unequivocal obligation to comply with the aforesaid United Nations decision in both letter and spirit,” the notice stated.
“The failure to do so constitutes an ongoing breach of its international legal obligations. The Opinion was willfully disregarded by the previous administration.
“That non-compliance, however, does not extinguish the subsisting legal obligation now binding on your administration.”
It stressed that Kanu’s imprisonment, “devoid of lawful justification,” constitutes an ongoing breach of both domestic and international law, exposing Nigeria to potential international enforcement actions.
“TAKE NOTICE that, unless immediate steps are taken to comply fully with the United Nations directive, specifically the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the provision of appropriate reparations, we shall, without further recourse to you, initiate appropriate legal enforcement proceedings in competent jurisdictions, including but not limited to the courts in London, to compel compliance and seek redress,” the lawyers warned.
The lawyers described the notice as a final opportunity for the Nigerian government to resolve the matter without resorting to prolonged litigation, adding that no rights or remedies available under international law have been waived.
“This letter constitutes a final opportunity for the Federal Government of Nigeria to resolve this matter without recourse to heavy litigation,” the lawyers stated.
“Nothing herein shall be construed as a waiver of any rights or remedies available to our client under international law.”
Kanu was, in November 2025, convicted of seven-count terrorism charges and sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
His conviction and sentence came after spending five years in the Department of State Services (DSS) detention since his controversial arrest and rendition to Nigeria in June 2021, a development that continues to spark legal disputes and international human rights concerns.
