Nnamdi Kanu Rejects Any Negotiation Without Biafra Independence Referendum

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has ruled out negotiations that do not involve a referendum on Biafra’s independence, insisting that the right of the Igbo people to determine their political future remains his central demand.

Kanu, currently serving life imprisonment in Sokoto, made his position known in an address to the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) at its 2026 annual convention held in Duluth, Georgia, United States, from October 9 to 11.

In the address, titled “An Address to the American Veterans of Igbo Descent,” Kanu declared that he would not negotiate the existence of the Igbo people or accept political arrangements that fail to provide for a referendum on Biafran sovereignty.

“Referendum, or the unilateral pursuit of Biafran sovereignty. There is no middle ground,” he stated.

“I will not negotiate the existence of my people. I will not bargain our homeland into a committee. I will discuss the referendum and nothing else.”

The IPOB leader dismissed proposals centred on political appointments, restructuring or another conference, arguing that such discussions would not address what he described as the fundamental right of Biafrans to decide their future through a free vote.

“My subject is one subject: the right of Biafrans to say, in a free vote, whether they will live as a people under their own roof,” he said.

Kanu’s address was delivered to AVID under the theme, “Maka Odi Nma Ndi Igbo,” which translates to “For the Good and Benefit of the Igbo People.”

He commended AVID for its support for his release and its efforts to draw international attention to his detention.

Kanu urged AVID and other pro-Biafra organisations to sustain their campaign for his release and that of other Biafrans he described as being unjustly detained.

He specifically acknowledged the efforts of AVID President, Dr Sylvester Onyia, whom he credited with repeatedly travelling to Abuja to attend court proceedings during his detention.

According to Kanu, Onyia also visited him in hospital and continued advocating for his release when his case appeared to be losing public attention.

“You did not advocate from a safe distance. You travelled to Abuja again and again while I was held in solitary confinement,” Kanu said.

He added that Onyia had attended court proceedings and supported him during what he described as a difficult period of confinement.

Kanu also recognised the contributions of Rising Sun and Ambassadors for Self-Determination, describing the groups as important sources of support for his welfare and the wider Biafran movement.

“I expect you to continue that unflinching support for my release and for the release of every Biafran locked up unjustly. Do not grow weary. The work is not finished,” he stated.

The separatist leader also urged members of the diaspora organisation to continue advocating for the rights of Biafrans through lawful and honourable means.

In the address, Kanu alleged that the Nigerian government had interfered with IPOB’s internal leadership structure and attempted to create divisions within the organisation.

He claimed that the group’s Third Administration of the Directorate of State had been penetrated by the government and subsequently dissolved.

Kanu further alleged that individuals he accused of betraying the movement had been removed from the organisation.

He praised AVID for maintaining its allegiance to his leadership during the period of internal tensions, saying the organisation had publicly committed to engaging only with officials appointed by him.

“When the Nigerian government succeeded in penetrating the Third Administration of our Directorate of State, many who once spoke loudly fell silent, or worse, became instruments of confusion,” he said.

“That administration has been dissolved. Those who betrayed the family have been sacked and expelled from the IPOB worldwide family.”

Kanu maintained that discipline and unity were essential to the continuation of the Biafran self-determination campaign.

The IPOB leader also praised AVID for writing to British officials, including the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria, to raise concerns about his detention.

Kanu, who holds British citizenship, described AVID’s advocacy as an attempt to hold the British government accountable over his treatment and legal circumstances.

He reiterated his allegation that he was abducted in Kenya and unlawfully transferred to Nigeria, where he was subsequently detained and prosecuted.

“You put the United Kingdom on the record. History will remember who wrote and who looked away,” he said.

Kanu also criticised the judicial handling of his case, describing the proceedings and the outcome as unjust.

He argued that his conviction was based on repealed laws and what he characterised as the disregard of an earlier acquittal.

Kanu recalled previous encounters with Nigerian authorities, claiming that he was first arrested in 2005 at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, arrested again in Lagos in 2015, and later taken from Kenya to Nigeria.

According to him, the successive arrests and prosecution were part of efforts to prevent the Biafran people from asserting their identity and political aspirations.

He said his prolonged detention and solitary confinement had failed to weaken his determination to pursue Biafran independence.

He described his imprisonment as an attempt to break both him and the movement, insisting that he remained committed to his political objective.

“I have spent eight years of my life in detention in pursuit of the only goal that matters to me, and indeed to all of us: a peaceful homeland called Biafra,” Kanu said.

The IPOB leader added that his vision was not driven by revenge or disorder but by what he described as the establishment of a country where Biafrans could live under their own laws.

“Not a slogan. A country. Not revenge. Safety. Not chaos. Order under our own law,” he stated.

Kanu urged members of AVID to use their position as veterans of the United States armed forces to advocate for self-determination and the rights of marginalized people.
He specifically referenced Igbo Landing, a historic site in Georgia associated with an 1803 incident in which enslaved Igbo captives resisted their enslavement.

He noted that the site holds symbolic significance in African American and Igbo historical memory and has become a reference point in discussions about resistance, freedom and identity.

Kanu said AVID members should draw inspiration from the history associated with the site and remain committed to advocating for the Igbo people.

“You will stand at Igbo Landing, where our ancestors walked into the water rather than live as property. That shore is not a picnic ground. It is a verdict. The spirit of the Igbo cannot be enslaved,” he said.

He urged the veterans to apply the principle of self-determination, which he said was central to the ideals of the United States, to the political aspirations of the Igbo people.

Kanu urged AVID, Rising Sun, Ambassadors for Self-Determination and other supporters of the Biafran cause to sustain their efforts, insisting that the demand for a referendum remained non-negotiable.

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