The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu and the Department of State Services (DSS), insisting that Nigeria risks a major crisis if its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is not given urgent medical attention.

The group declared that Kanu’s health and safety remain “non-negotiable” and accused the authorities of endangering his life through judicial rascality and neglect.

Naijaonpoint reports that in a statement issued on Tuesday, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, described Kanu as priceless, stressing that the government must take responsibility for his well-being.

“Let it be clearly understood: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is priceless, and no amount of blackmail, judicial rascality, or DSS-induced health crisis will be tolerated,” the statement read.

Powerful warned that any further deterioration in Kanu’s health could trigger consequences “unimaginable for Nigeria and its foreign backers.”

The IPOB spokesman drew a parallel with the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which ignited the First World War.

“When Serbian nationalists assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914, they thought there would be no consequences. The result was the First World War, which consumed over 10 million lives,” Powerful cautioned.

He added: “Nigeria is toying with a catastrophe that could engulf not only its borders but the entire region. A worsening of Kanu’s medical condition will ignite a crisis the likes of which Nigeria and its foreign backers have never imagined.”

IPOB further appealed to international bodies, human rights organisations, and peace-loving people across the world to pressure the Nigerian government into releasing Kanu unconditionally.

“The games being played with the life of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu are reckless, provocative, and unsustainable. Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder, and IPOB will not be held responsible for what happens if this provocation continues,” the group stated.