Supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) staged a protest in central London on Wednesday, calling for the release of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues his state visit to the United Kingdom.
The demonstration, organised by IPOB’s UK chapter, drew crowds to high-profile locations including Parliament Square, near 10 Downing Street, and outside the Nigerian High Commission. Protesters carried placards demanding freedom for Kanu and waved Biafran flags—a tricolour of red, black, and green with a rising sun in the centre—while chanting slogans such as “Free Mazi Nnamdi Kanu now.”
Kanu, a British citizen and long-time leader of IPOB, has been in detention in Nigeria since 2021 on terrorism-related charges. In November 2025, a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on multiple counts tied to terrorism and incitement, handing him a life imprisonment sentence.
Prosecutors argued that his broadcasts and directives incited violence, but his supporters regard the conviction as politically motivated and have said they will pursue appeals against the verdict.
The protests unfolded amid heightened international attention on Nigeria during the state visit, which includes high-level engagements between President Tinubu and British officials, as well as ceremonial events with the British monarchy.
While the demonstrations remained largely peaceful, their presence in key parts of London added a visible expression of dissent to the visit, underscoring divisions over Kanu’s detention and the continued calls for his release from supporters both within Nigeria and in the diaspora.