An Israeli lobbyist, Heidi Moses, has renewed calls for international attention to the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the jailed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), during a television interview in Israel.
Moses, who said she represents the Biafran cause before the Israeli Knesset, used the interview to challenge what she described as the international community’s silence over Kanu’s imprisonment and the wider Biafran question.
Speaking about Britain’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and possible sanctions against Israel, Moses shifted attention to Nigeria’s history and the Biafran separatist movement.
“I want to talk about the hypocrisy of Britain. I represent Biafra at the Knesset,” she said.
Moses claimed that Biafrans have suffered prolonged violence and political marginalisation under the Nigerian government, while also arguing that Britain’s colonial policies played a major role in the creation of Nigeria’s current political structure.
She further claimed to have taken a Biafran delegation to the Israeli parliament, where members of the Knesset met with the group.
According to Moses, the delegation’s engagements involved Israeli lawmakers, including Limor Son Har-Melech, Nissim Vaturi and Afif Abed, claiming that they subsequently sent letters to the United Nations concerning Kanu’s detention.
Kanu has been at the centre of a long-running separatist controversy in Nigeria, over his campaign for an independent Biafran state.
He was prosecuted by the federal government over offences connected to his separatist activities and was subsequently convicted by a Federal High Court in Abuja on treason-related charges before receiving a life imprisonment sentence, which he is serving in Sokoto.
Moses, however, disputed the basis of his imprisonment, maintaining that Kanu is being punished for his political beliefs and advocacy for Biafran independence.
“He was kidnapped and jailed only because of his views, only because he wants to free his people,” she said.
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Moses also criticised Britain’s historical role in Nigeria, arguing that colonial policies contributed to the political arrangements that continue to fuel disputes over the country’s structure.
“Who gave this mandate to the Nigerians? The British government,” she said.
She called for greater international scrutiny of the Biafran issue and urged governments and international organisations to examine what she described as abuses against people in the region.
Moses also referenced comments attributed to United States President Donald Trump concerning insecurity in Nigeria, claiming that Washington has indicated a willingness to provide military assistance.
However, she did not provide details or evidence during the interview to support the claim.
Her intervention is coming amid renewed international interest in Kanu’s case and the broader debate over Nigeria’s handling of separatist agitation in the South-East.
