….‘history will not forget’ their Silence
…Kanu’s activism was nonviolent, his only “weapon was his voice.”
PeopleGAZET Newspaper reports
The World Igbo Congress (WIC) has called for a peaceful global demonstration on October 20, 2025, in solidarity with the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a.k.a ‘MNK’ urging Nigerians and the international community to rise against “an injustice that chains freedom itself.”
In a statement on recently signed by the Chair of WIC, Festus Okere, and the Secretary General, Chris Ogara, made available to PeopleGAZET Newspaper, WIC said that the continued detention of Kanu represents not just an attack on one man but a broader assault on justice, truth, and liberty.
“When injustice speaks, the world listens! We are at a moment when silence is no longer an option,” the WIC said.
“The chains on Nnamdi Kanu are not just chains on one man; they are chains on freedom, on justice, and on truth itself.”
The group emphasised that Kanu’s activism was nonviolent, stressing that his only “weapon was his voice.”
“Here is a man who was not found with a weapon, who never raised a gun, who never shed innocent blood,” the statement continued.
“His only weapon was his voice, sharp, unyielding, relentlessly in demanding freedom for his people. And for that, he was abducted, renditioned in secrecy, and locked away. Is this justice, or persecution?”
The WIC further argued that “no competent court, worldwide, including the Nigerian Supreme Court, Kenyan Court, or World Court, has found him guilty.”
The WIC described calls for Kanu’s release as “not the cry of one tribe, but the demand for justice itself.”
Praising human rights activist Omoyele Sowore for leading a peaceful #FreeNnamdiKanu demonstration in support of the IPOB leader, the WIC said it welcomed all “lovers of justice, fairness, and unity” to join the October 20 protest.
“When injustice persists for too long, it ceases to be a local problem and becomes a global one. And Nigeria must understand, its future cannot be built on silencing its own,” the statement added.
Questioning the double standards in the Nigerian justice system, WIC asked, “Why is it that in Nigeria bandits and terrorists can gather openly, brandishing weapons, negotiating with the state as if they are kings, and getting presidential pardons; yet a man who spoke only with words languishes in prison? What does that say about the kind of freedom we pretend to practice?”
Citing comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump, the group warned, “When governments fear the voice of their own citizens, they are no longer leading with strength, but with fear.
“And he is right, the world is watching Nigeria. History is watching Nigeria.”
The WIC also condemned the silence of some Igbo governors over Kanu’s ordeal, saying they “chose comfort over courage, power over people, silence over truth,” adding that “history will not forget.”
“To you, our people, we say, no prison cell is strong enough to chain the human spirit. No silence is deep enough to bury the truth. And no betrayal is final when the people rise,” the statement said.
The organisation noted that Kanu’s case has gained increasing global attention, from discussions in the U.S. Senate to “voices of presidents and revolutionaries” who have spoken out.
“Today, we say, release Nnamdi Kanu. Stop persecuting the Igbo people. Protect the Christians from being slaughtered in their churches and their communities.
“Show the world that Nigeria has the strength to choose freedom over fear, unity over division, justice over oppression,” the WIC declared.
“Because the world is watching. Because history is recording. And because the cry of the oppressed will always outlive the silence of their oppressors.”
English