An Israeli lawmaker, MK Afef Abbed, has asked the United Nations to review the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu and examine whether recommendations previously issued by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention have been implemented.
Abbed, a member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, made the request in a September 1, 2026 letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
A copy of the letter was made available to journalists on Thursday.
The letter, titled, “Call for the Implementation of the Opinion and Recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Concerning Mr Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” referenced Opinion No. 25/2022 of the Working Group concerning Kanu’s arrest and detention.
The Working Group had previously concluded that Kanu’s detention was arbitrary and called for measures to remedy his situation, including his immediate release and compensation in accordance with international law.
It also called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his arrest in Kenya and subsequent transfer to Nigeria.
Abbed urged the UN to establish whether the recommendations contained in the opinion had been implemented and to seek an official update from the Nigerian government on steps taken in response to the findings.
He also asked the UN to consider issuing a public update, subject to its procedures, on the status of implementation of the opinion.
The lawmaker said subsequent legal proceedings in Nigeria had raised questions concerning Kanu’s rights and the circumstances surrounding his detention and transfer.
Kanu was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2025 on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Abbed said the conviction and sentence did not remove the need to examine the concerns raised in the 2022 UN opinion.
