Uchechi Okwu-Kanu Ramps Up Pressure Over UK Govt's Adamance In Husband's Ordeal

Uchechi Okwu-Kanu Ramps Up Pressure Over UK Govt's Adamance In Husband's Ordeal

Wife to the incarcerated Leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra, Uchechi Okwu-Kanu has employed the founder of the Widows for Peace through Democracy [WPD] Margaret Owen, who is renowned for her participation in the momentum build-up that led to the intervention of UK government in the case of an British-Iranian national, Nazanine Ratcliffe in 2022. After she was arrested and prosecuted by the Iranian authorities on espionage charges for 6 years. 

Mrs Owen in a post made on her verified Facebook page, officially confirmed the assumption of the case after the former attorney in charge of the case, Jonathan Cooper died in autumn 2021 shortly after the extraordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and subsequent prosecution/incarceration. 

In the statement issued by Mrs Owen, she lamented the adamance and negligence of the United Kingdom in the case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, likening his case with that of the aforementioned Nazanine Ratcliffe. Accusing the Foreign company Commonwealth Development Office United Kingdom(FCDOUK) of abandoning a health-deteriorating British citizen in captivity, his traumatized wife and two sons. 

"On my mind the deeply distressing plight of 56 year-old British citizen Nnamdi Okwu-Kanu , the IPOB ( Indigenous People of Biafra) leader, who in 2021 was a victim of extraordinary rendition from Kenya by the Nigerian authorities.  His unlawful unjust incarceration is causing extreme distress to his wife Uche, and his two young sons.  They are all British citizens living here, but so far the UK government is doing nothing to obtain his release and have him returned to this country where he has his home." 

"Blindfolded, he was tortured for 8 days with grave consequences to his health and is now detained in the Abuja prison, denied urgently needed medicines and cardiac surgery,"  she narrates.

She revealed that the late Jonathan Cooper  brought the plight of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to her knowledge, while he was still around.  Unfortunately, he passed before he could pursue the case until its logical conclusion. 

Hence, she has resolved to  "complete the mission" urging the British public to conduct simple research on the internet about Nnamdi Kanu's fight for freedom and to write their Members Of Parliament (MPs) representing their various constituencies to intervene in the case of Nnamdi Kanu being perpetually incarcerated in Nigeria. 

She argued that Nnamdi Kanu is pursuing a case of self-détermination for his people adding that Amnesty International has been reached out to classify Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a "Prisoner of Conscience" to facilitate, accelerate the process of the intervention by the UK government. 

"Kanu argued for self-détermination for Biafrans, for freedom of his people, and for peace. A call has gone out to Amnesty International to adopt him as a « Prisoner of Conscience », as this would strengthen our appeal to our new Labour government, now headed by human rights lawyers, Starmer, Lammy and Kermer."

Recall that after the Supreme Appellate Court Judgment of 13th October 2022, ordering the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Amnesty International  Nigeria, in line with the yet-to-be-implemented court ruling, issued a statement calling for Nnamdi Kanu's release.

Mrs Owen surmised that if the UK government does not intervene in the case of Mr Kanu, she would have no choice but to employ same strategy which was mass-used in the demand of Nazanine this forthcoming winter: pitching tents outside the FCDO office and commencing an unending hunger strike. 

Owen believes this would force the UK government to intervene in the case of Mr Kanu whom from all indications no longer has much time as he faces grave heart complications which requires immediate medical attention unlike Nazanine who spent 6 years before her release. 

"Nnamdi Kanu has not got such time, given the serious state of his heart, and other problems resulting from the torture." 

According to her, the hunger strike is part of a strategy package which Richard Ratcliffe spouse to Nazanine advised would be effective in the bid to ensure a timely intervention of the British government. And as such would be adopted if no meaningful progress is seen. 

Family Writers Press International.