Uchechi Kanu, wife of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has declared that her husband is confronting forces “far darker” than those faced by South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela. Her comment, which has stirred intense debate online, was shared in a passionate post on X.
Uchechi insisted that Kanu is not a terrorist, but rather Africa’s most significant freedom fighter a man loved and protected by millions of Biafrans across the world, despite his current imprisonment.
“The Igbo youths and students are in solidarity with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Nnamdi Kanu is not a terrorist,” she wrote. “He is the greatest African freedom fighter that exists and the leader of millions of Biafrans scattered all over the world who are under his umbrella IPOB.”
She acknowledged that Kanu is human and not without flaws, but stressed that his commitment to his people remains unwavering. According to her, the loyalty he inspires is so deep that “many are willing to protect him with their last breath.”
In drawing a comparison with Nelson Mandela, Uchechi argued that while Mandela fought opponents who were still capable of being reasoned with, the forces her husband faces are “far more darker,” suggesting a more complex and hostile environment surrounding his agitation for Biafra.
Nnamdi Kanu is currently serving a life sentence at the Sokoto Custodial Centre after being convicted by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism-related charges linked to his campaign for the actualisation of a sovereign Biafran state.
Her remarks have reignited national conversations about the IPOB leader’s incarceration, the nature of the charges against him, and the broader tensions around self-determination movements in Nigeria.