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Ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom, pan-Igbo self determination activists, under the aegis of the Rising Sun Foundation, has asked the UK government to demand answers from the Nigerian leader concerning the ‘abduction’ of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu was ‘abducted’ in Kenya in June 2021 and repatriated to Nigeria to face trial, leading to his conviction on terrorism charges brought against him by the Nigerian government on November 20, 2025.
Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu have reportedly accepted an invitation to be guests of British monarch King Charles at Windsor Castle from March 18 to 19, 2026.
It will be the first state visit by a Nigerian President to the UK in 37 years.
Rising Sun Foundation, reacting to the development in a statement signed by its leader, Dr. Maxwell Dede, on Monday, said the state visit presents the UK government with an opportunity to demand answers on the abduction of its citizen, Kanu.
Kanu holds a British passport. The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra is currently serving a life prison sentence at the Sokoto Prison.
“Rising Sun Foundation has taken note of reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be traveling to the United Kingdom to meet with His Majesty King Charles III.
“In light of this visit, we respectfully remind the British Government and the wider international community that our only expectation is simple and just: that this meeting must not pass without the United Kingdom demanding clear answers from the Nigerian authorities regarding the unlawful abduction and extraordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in 2021.
“For nearly five years, the UK Foreign Office has reportedly sent multiple diplomatic communications to the Nigerian government seeking clarification on the circumstances surrounding the abduction of a British citizen, traveling on a valid UK passport, from Kenya. To date, there has been no transparent or satisfactory response,” the pan-Igbo self determination activists said in the statement.
The activists condemned what they described as the abandonment of the IPOB leader by the British authorities.
According to Rising Sun Foundation, it is morally indefensible for the very state that created Nigeria, and which remains one of its principal political and economic partners, to abandon its duty of care toward a British citizen simply because of political convenience, economic interests, or historic hostility towards the Biafran cause.
The activists stressed that the continued silence and inaction of the UK authorities, coupled with credible reports about the aircraft and logistical chain used in the rendition, have deepened public suspicion that powerful international actors may have been aware of, or complicit in, the operation. “Such concerns cannot be brushed aside without transparency,” the statement said.
Rising Sun Foundation insisted that Tinubu’s visit is also an opportunity for the UK government to come clean on its role Kanu’s abduction and rendition.
Stating their demands, the activists said: “If the United Kingdom wishes to demonstrate that it was not a silent partner—or worse, an instigator—in the unlawful abduction of its own citizen, then this visit presents a clear and unavoidable test.
“His Majesty King Charles III and the UK Government must: Demand a full and public explanation from President Tinubu on why Nigeria has failed to respond adequately to repeated diplomatic inquiries.
“Seek immediate clarity on the legal and operational basis for the abduction of a British citizen in Kenya.
“If satisfactory answers are not forthcoming, call for an independent public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, including any possible involvement of UK officials or agencies.”
According to the statement, anything short of these steps will only reinforce the growing global perception that the United Kingdom has chosen political expediency over its obligation to protect the rights and safety of its own citizen.
“The world is watching. Justice demands answers,” the activists declared.
State Visit: UK must demand answers from Tinubu on Nnamdi Kanu’s abduction – Pan-Igbo activists
