Release Kanu Or Detain Gumi, Ayodele Charges Tinubu Govt
A fresh appeal for the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu has come from the founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, who urged the Federal Government to free the separatist agitator or apply the same treatment to Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi.
Ayodele made the call while addressing his congregation in a video that surfaced online on Saturday. “Try and release Nnamdi Kanu,” he said, arguing that the government should also detain Gumi if it chooses to keep Kanu in custody.
The cleric maintained that treating the two figures differently could raise questions about the government’s sincerity. He further warned that public protests could intensify if the authorities failed to address growing concerns among citizens, adding, “Protest will seize this Tinubu government.”
The intervention comes against the backdrop of one of the most contentious legal cases in the country. Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Kanu on seven counts on November 20, 2025, and while prosecutors sought the death penalty, the court imposed a life sentence. The court imposed life sentences on counts 1, 4, 5 and 6 of the seven-count charge.
Kanu has been in custody since June 2021, after he was re-arrested and brought back to Nigeria from Kenya in an operation his lawyers and supporters describe as an “extraordinary rendition.” He was subsequently re-arraigned on terrorism-related charges linked to his leadership of IPOB, a group the Federal Government has proscribed. He is currently serving his sentence in a correctional centre in Sokoto State.
Kanu filed a notice of appeal before the Court of Appeal on February 4, 2026, challenging the conviction on multiple grounds and seeking to have both the judgment and sentence overturned. IPOB has separately accused the trial judge of bias, a position the group restated in a statement by its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful.
Calls for Kanu’s release have widened in recent months. The president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator Azuta Mbata, has urged President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government to free the IPOB leader, arguing that he has remained in detention for too long. The matter has also drawn international attention. A US House of Representatives measure, H.Res. 1321, introduced on May 22, 2026, by Representative John James, calls on the Nigerian government to ensure that all legal proceedings involving Kanu comply with the country’s constitutional obligations and international human rights commitments.
Ayodele, known for his New Year prophecies, regularly comments on political and security developments in the country. The government has not issued any official response to his latest remarks.