Title: When State Impunity Undermines the Rule of Law: An Open Letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the Persecution of Indigenous Peoples and the Illegal Detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu
22, September 2026
By: Mazi Dr. Oghenevoke Oforitse Santos
Dear Secretary-General António Guterres,
Your recent address to the United Nations General Assembly struck a profound chord with marginalized communities and indigenous populations across the globe. When you declared that power is being weaponized by a few to undermine the international rule of law giving states the impression that "they are entitled to do whatever they want", you captured the exact reality that millions of indigenous people endure daily.
As a researcher, activist, and advocate for justice, I write this open letter to highlight a glaring case study of the very state impunity you condemned before the world: the continuous persecution of the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), the illegal detention of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and the systemic suppression of indigenous rights by the Nigerian state.
1. The Rhetoric vs. Reality of Global Rule of Law
During your speech, you rightly pointed out that when sovereign states violate international norms without consequence, the entire global order collapses into lawlessness.
In Nigeria, this collapse of legal accountability is not a future threat; it is a present reality. The Nigerian government routinely operates above both domestic judicial authority and international law. A glaring example is the extra-ordinary rendition of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya in 2021, an act that violated international aviation, extradition, and human rights treaties.
The UN’s own body, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention(Opinion No. 25/2022), explicitly declared Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s detention arbitrary and illegal, calling for his immediate and unconditional release. Yet, the Nigerian state has openly disregarded this directive, along with multiple judgments from its own domestic courts ordering his release.
2. Pushing Political Prisoners into the Shadows
The state's tactics have become increasingly punitive. Transferred far from primary legal jurisdiction and isolated in a custodial facility in Sokoto State, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu faces severe restrictions on his access to adequate medical attention and legal counsel.
This isolation strategy extends to hundreds of other non-violent IPOB members and indigenous youth currently languishing in detention centers across Northern Nigeria, particularly in Abuja and Niger State. Many remain held without formal charges or under indefinite detention orders, a direct violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
3. Indigenous Rights Are Human Rights
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples(UNDRIP) explicitly affirms the right of indigenous populations to self-determination, freedom from state-sponsored violence, and protection under equal application of the law.
When non-violent calls for political dialogue and self-determination are met with brutal military force, mass arrests, and arbitrary detentions, the state demonstrates the exact "culture of impunity" you warned the world about. If a government can violate human rights conventions against its own citizens while remaining a member in good standing at the United Nations, then international law becomes a rule book applied only to the weak.
An Urgent Call to Action:
Your Excellency, speeches at the General Assembly must be followed by concrete mechanisms for accountability. On behalf of all who advocate for human rights, self-determination, and the rule of law, I urge your office to take immediate steps:
i. Demand Compliance with UN Directives: Formally call upon the Nigerian government to comply with UN Opinion No. 25/2022 and respect international treaty obligations regarding Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
ii. Investigate Mass Detentions: Mandate a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to inspect state custodial facilities in Sokoto, Abuja, and Niger State where indigenous political prisoners are detained.
iii. Protect Indigenous Rights: Ensure that peaceful advocacy for self-determination is protected under Article 1 of the UN Charter, rather than criminalized by sovereign state power.
The global rule of law cannot survive if states are permitted to enforce laws against their citizens while disregarding international law themselves. The world is watching to see if the United Nations will act upon its own principles.
Respectfully yours,
Mazi Dr. Oghenevoke Oforitse Santos,
Advocate for Human Rights and Indigenous Self-Determination
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