IPOB Members In Cyprus Swear Oath Of Allegiance, Call For Nnamdi Kanu's Release

Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Cyprus have called for the immediate release of their leader Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently in the detention of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Also, some young persons were inducted into the group after they took an oath of allegiance at a local venue in Limassol, a city in the southern coast of Cyprus, Nigeriabroad reports.

IPOB has however denied reports describing its activities as that of a terrorist organisation, saying it is fighting for the freedom of the southeasterners amid worsening insecurity in the region.

A now-deleted tweet stated, “Yesterday 12 December 2021, IPOB in Limassol Cyprus led by our great leader Nnamdi Kanu administered oaths of allegiance to our new members,” adding that the group remained resolute in its campaign to restore sovereignty for Biafra.

IPOB followers have been active in Cyprus through social media posts and public demonstrations, where young men and women often display flags, chant freedom slogans, and sing peace songs.

In May 2020, Greek Cypriot immigration officers rounded up asylum seekers from their places of residence on the island (Biafra agitators), with some complaining that they were being moved to a migrant camp under threats of deportation.

Kanu is currently detained in the facility of the DSS on the order of Justice Binta Nyako-led Federal High Court in Abuja on the treasonable felony charges preferred against him by the Nigerian government.

Kanu was illegally arrested in Kenya and renditioned to Nigeria in June.

The separatist leader recently accused the Nigerian government of violating his human rights, alleging that a doctor had been instructed by security agents to take his blood sample 21 times. 

Additional complaints from the activist prompted a federal court earlier this month to demand that the IPOB leader should be allowed to have “maximum comfort” while in detention, meaning he could have a change of clothes, better food, accept visits, and practise his faith freely.