Hananya Naftali, a native Israeli Jew and activist, called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist group – the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Kanu, who is still in Nigerian prison, was seized in Kenya in July 2021 and illegally repatriated to Nigeria.
He faces charges of treason and other baseless crimes for calling for a referendum on the independent state of Biafra in the east of the country.
“The Nigerian government must release him from captivity,” said Naftali, who is also an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reservist and social media influencer, who shared a photo showing Nnamdi Kanu at the Western Wall in Jerusalem years ago.
“Expressing support for Biafrans is not a crime, it’s freedom of speech,” Naftali said later in the Facebook post on Wednesday.
The activist has often declared his support for the people of Biafra, who he says are Igbo Jews in Africa.
In an article he wrote in June 2021, he said; “Biafrans face severe discrimination from Nigerian authorities, have a hard time to get jobs, and the saddest part is that Islamist groups in Nigeria continue to slaughter them.
“Bodies of dead Biafrans are thrown into the bushes, left in the street or buried disrespectfully. This is how radical Islamists are treating Christians and Jews in Biafra today.”