The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has described the prolonged detention of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as the tragic outcome of a misguided and aggressive agitation for self-determination.
In a statement on Monday, the peacebuilding organisation said Kanu had become “a prisoner of his own aggression”, caught in a cycle of militant rhetoric and violent agitation that has inflicted pain on communities, weakened his cause, and prolonged his incarceration.
PeacePro, which advocates non-violence, dialogue, and inclusive democratic processes, urged IPOB and its sympathisers to renounce militant activities and adopt peaceful, lawful channels to express their grievances.
“The agitation for self-determination, when expressed through threats, militarised posturing or divisive propaganda, loses its legitimacy and moral standing,” the organisation said.
It warned that IPOB’s current approach had generated fear rather than freedom and had replaced courage with coercion. “The campaign, as it stands, is no longer a call for justice but a source of instability,” it added.
PeacePro also blamed IPOB’s militant rhetoric and persistent misinformation for blocking any chance of a political resolution to Kanu’s legal troubles, insisting that the only path now available to him is through the courts.
“The group must take responsibility for making political solutions impossible,” the statement noted. “True power lies not in secessionist flags or the sound of gunfire, but in the courage to build, the wisdom to reconcile, and the humility to choose peace over pride.”
PeacePro emphasised that seeking peace is not a form of surrender but the most courageous and transformative decision any movement can make.
“It is time to redefine the pursuit of justice—not as an excuse for chaos, but as a commitment to peace, development and democratic inclusion,” the organisation concluded.
