A coalition of Igbo residents in Germany, alongside other Nigerians in the diaspora, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to exercise clemency by granting a presidential pardon to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The appeal was contained in a communiqué issued on Friday and jointly signed by the National Coordinator, Benjamin Chinaka, and the Secretary General, Chinasa Ezeji.
The statement followed an emergency meeting of the group on November 21, 2025, in Frankfurt, Germany, where members reviewed the reported life sentence recently delivered by a Nigerian court.
The association expressed fears that Kanu’s conviction could heighten ethnic tensions and further strain Nigeria’s fragile political environment.
“Nigeria is currently grappling with serious security and socio-political challenges. At such a delicate time, this judgment may further widen divisions among ethnic groups and undermine democratic cohesion,” the communiqué stated.
The group urged the President to consider national stability and unity in responding to the ruling.
“We respectfully appeal to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to exercise his constitutional prerogative of mercy and grant a presidential pardon to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
The organisation added that some of the concerns long voiced by Kanu mirrored the frustrations of many Nigerians, particularly in the South-East, where citizens often feel economically deprived and politically sidelined.
They encouraged the President to take what they described as a statesmanlike step that could help restore trust in the federal system and ease regional tensions.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court had convicted Kanu of terrorism-related offences and sentenced him to life imprisonment before ordering his transfer to the Sokoto Correctional Facility.
