I received your message in time for the new year. However, I am so disappointed to have received such an email that demonstrates how, regrettably, your organization has joined the rest of the world in blatant silence regarding Biafra.
The message reads:
“As we begin the new year, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your zeal, dedication, and courage to continue supporting Amnesty International in the face of a world where human rights are not always respected and promoted. There is a lot to say about the world we face and the crises that have wiped out decades of progress in human rights. However, I want to concentrate on the blazing Amnesty International flame that you have maintained.
A growing number of experts, including UN special rapporteurs, have spoken out in support of Amnesty International’s landmark report on Israel’s policies toward Palestinians. We mobilized in support of the Ukrainian people’s human rights and declared Russia’s use of force to be illegal and an act of aggression. We criticized Meta/Facebook for its fatal inability to contain the spread of hatred in Myanmar. At COP 27, we made it abundantly clear that climate justice without respect for human rights is unacceptable. And in light of the World Cup, what should we make of our advocacy efforts for the rights of migrant workers in Qatar?
These are just a few of our accomplishments. I’m missing out on a lot of other victories that you’ve worked so hard to achieve through your activism and involvement.
So, as the new year begins, let’s be proud of what we have all done to preserve and fuel Amnesty International’s shining torch of human rights.
Now, I’d like to inquire if you’ve heard of the Biafrans case. Does this imply that you have not been informed of the situation involving Nigeria and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)? Does this imply that you have not been informed of the decisions made by the Nigerian Court of Appeal regarding Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s case? Despite the fact that the court granted Nnamdi Kanu a discharge and acquittal and stated that he should be released unconditionally, the federal government of Nigeria is still holding him in the Department of State Security (DSS) dungeon?
Do you not know that Nigeria was given six months by the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to guarantee Kanu’s unconditional freedom and compensation? Are you still unaware that that time has passed and that no one has discussed it?
More specifically, can you tell me if you haven’t heard of the 20-year-old girl Idara Gold? She was kidnapped by Nigeria’s DSS because she was wearing Biafra attire to celebrate her birthday?
I’m disappointed in the Amnesty International organization because it seems like it’s just a barking dog with no teeth. I’m disappointed in you because it seems like you don’t care as much about the Biafra and Nigerian government cases. Since Mazi Nnamdi was kidnapped from Kenya, you have done nothing to inform the Nigerian government and the rest of the world that they have committed an international crime against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. This makes me unhappy with the organization. I’m disappointed in you because, despite the fact that numerous IPOB family members vanish on a daily basis, none of those cases were reported on your page last year. I am extremely dissatisfied with your email because none of the cases you wrote about in 2022 involved Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Idara Gold, or any of the numerous IPOB family members who are imprisoned in various Nigerian prisons. Is our situation unique?
We have been treated in this manner by a reputable organization like Amnesty International. What have we done?
It’s pointless to send me an email if my case has no bearing on you.
Written by the Obulose Chidiebere Family and published by International