According to a group of American pro-Biafra activists, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who is currently in prison, did not break any laws by calling for a referendum in Nigeria on the Biafra issue.
In doing so, the activists urged the Nigerian government to take a page out of the British self-determination movement’s playbook, which has sparked calls for a referendum in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Advocates for self-determination, including Dr. Sylvester Onyia, Mazi Evans Nwankwo, and Rev. Dede Maxwell, as well as the American Veterans of Igbo Descent and AVID, released a joint statement in which the activists expressed their views.
Amidst a movement by nations to exercise their right to select their own destiny, the leaders of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland signed a united declaration on independence referendums at a conference in Cardiff in September.
If the planned referendum succeeds in getting the majority of voters to want to leave the union, it might cause the UK to split into several sovereign nations.
The activists in a joint statement titled ‘Nigeria must learn from the UK: Referendum is a democratic right, not a crime – our stand on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’ pointed out that no one in the UK has been charged with treason for advocating for a referendum. “We have watched with cold fury the recent events in the United Kingdom, the very country that imposed its parliamentary system on Nigeria and then abandoned every principle it claimed to teach us.
“The leaders of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales formally acknowledged their inherent right to self-determination in a single treaty signed in Cardiff on September 14, 2026. “Scotland is a nation that has a right to decide its own future.” The Scottish Parliament voted 84–18 in favour of this position on September 22, 2026. Piddington, a little community in Oxfordshire, England, even had a vote to determine its own destiny.
“The British government did not prosecute anyone for treason or kill anyone in any of these situations. Andy Burnham, the prime minister, debated them.
There was no kidnapping. Nobody perished after being cast into a dungeon. In detention, nobody’s health was knowingly permitted to deteriorate. When the powerful are compelled to respect democracy, that is the appearance it takes, the campaigners said.
The campaigners made their stance clear by asking, “Why does Nigeria criminalise the same demand if the United Kingdom can allow open debate and parliamentary votes on self-determination in 2026?” We are calling for the right to vote in a referendum to be included in the constitution right away. There is already a type of referendum when the people vote for their preferred candidates in accordance with their collective desire.
As far as they’re concerned, it’s justifiable because it shows that people want to be led by individuals they trust rather than by people who hold office.
The activists also voiced their opinion on Nnamdi Kanu, denouncing what they saw as the intentional disregard for the IPOB leader’s health while he was in custody. Let it be repeated without apology: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu asking for a referendum is not a crime. They said the development is not just harsh, but a premeditated act of cruelty.
It is known as democracy in Scotland. It is known as self-determination in Wales. The Good Friday Agreement safeguards it in Northern Ireland. To put a British citizen out of his or her voice, it is classified as terrorism in Nigeria.
The activists also took issue with the British government’s apparent lack of interest in Nnamdi Kanu’s case, particularly with the length of time it took to hear his appeal against his conviction.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” the most fundamental principle of the common law that Britain imposed on Nigeria has been disregarded.
For the lack of a codified statute, why hasn’t Britain asked Nigeria to explain why it won’t hear an appeal against a conviction? The campaigners accused the British of betrayal, stating that Britain’s determined silence and deliberate docility constitute active cooperation in the extraordinary rendition and illegal conviction of its own person.
According to them, Kanu wanted a referendum so that Nigerians could vote on whether they wanted a country with real federalism, justice, and equity or the option to leave if they didn’t like it.