Israeli Reporter : I want to congratulate you, and to thank you for coming ’Mr Nnamdi Kanu” from Biafra, thank you so much

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Thank you

Israeli reporter: we’ll shortly tell the story of how did you happen to come here, let’s talk about your people’s story in Biafra, how many people there consider themselves as ‘Jewish’ and how did it manifest itself.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Biafra in total has about the population of 70 million people scattered all over the world, as you know they’ve called us “wandering Jews of Africa”, but those that have identified themselves with their Jewish heritage is nearly about ‘50 million people ‘.

Israeli reporter: 50 million people?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu : 5 0 million people

Israeli reporter: Do they practice Judaism?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu : A significant amount of them practice Judaism

Israeli reporter: In what way?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: By, in terms of their prayers, in terms of the ’Torah’ they read, in terms of the ’Kippah’ and the ’Tallit’ you use to pray, In terms of the recitation of their prayers, it's a very significant segment of the population that actually practice it as we do, most of us do in IPOB

(reporter cuts in, asks about ’IPOB’?)

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: IPOB is the Indigenous People of Biafra, it's this umbrella movement all over the world, that is pursuing the emancipation of Biafra from Nigeria, so what's been happening is that when Christianity came with colonialism, a lot of our Jewish heritage was suppressed, we were made to feel ashamed of our ’Jewishness’ so to speak, but luckily and fortunately for us a lot of people bravely maintained that very tradition and culture till this very day, if you go to ’Umuleri’ in Anambra state it is there, all over the world, its there. Even the Encyclopaedia Britannica of 1929 mentioned it quite specifically that the Igbos are the ’Jews of Africa’ because of all the traditions you have, from the circumcision to everything you can think of, from the book of Leviticus, we practice it right there.

Israeli Reporter: we talking about the Igbo nation, the Igbo people, not all of them are Jewish right? Not all the Igbos are Jewish? Or they are?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: They are all Jewish, the problem is that with the influence and the influx of Christianity as a result of colonialism, a lot of that was dampened down, what happened was that a lot of our emphasis was moved away from the ’Torah’, the Old Testament to the New Testament, but because the Old Testament still contained aspects of our tradition and our culture. We accepted the ”Bible” as it was given to us.

Israeli Reporter: Okay, let's see, we have a short clip showing you guys in Biafra in your Judaism way of life.

(Shows the short clip)

Israeli Reporter: Quite fascinating

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: very very fascinating

Israeli Reporter: Now, I want to look at the map of Biafra in Nigeria, maybe this map does tell a little bit of the story ( shows map) so, actually you guys in Biafra, what are you struggling for, what is your aim in your struggle, why there is a such a confrontation between you and the authorities?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Because we want to go back to the way we were before the British came, most of our problems was basically made by the British. The way Nigeria was put together is the root cause of the problem

Israeli Reporter: I'm talking about these days, there was a war and Biafra was kind of independent between 1967 -1970 I guess and since then its part of Nigeria, what do you want? You want an independent state of Biafra, you want to be a Jewish state, you want a kind aof autonomy, what do you want?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: We want an independent Jewish state and a Biafran state that is absolutely independent of anything to do with Nigeria, for the simple reason that we were dependent before the British came

Israeli Reporter: But you want to be a Jewish state?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Absolutely, to go back to our way of life, that's a place called ’Arochukwu’ where we come from, the same way you have ’ Yerushalayim’, the same way you have the temple in ’Yerushalayim’, we have one in ’Arochukwu’, the same thing. So we want to go back to that way of life to worshipping the one and only true God that we know.

Israeli Reporter: Is there anyone within the Israeli establishment that recognize you as a ’Jewish people’?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Absolutely, I'm sure that when, during the time of

( reporter interrupts, shows a clip of Nnamdi Kanu praying Western wall saying ”This is you praying at the Western wall”)

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Absolutely yes, I prayed there also in the year 2013, when I came to Israel

Israeli Reporter: So coming back to my Question about the recognition by Israel to your Jewish way of life and to your Jewish heritage

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Our Jewish heritage and our way of life, yes. Yitzchak Rabin made some statements about that, also Henry Kissinger, the former United States Secretary of state also made some comments about it as well. If you go to the ’Nixon papers’ regarding the Biafran war, it's all there. Very clearly spelt out, but I think there seems to be this kind of paranoia that should Biafra get closer to Israel, that 70 million people will somehow flock into the land of Israel? That is not the case, we are seeking Biafra so we can return to Biafra and be in Biafra.

Israeli Reporter: let's go back to your personal story. You have been persecuted or arrested in Biafra? What was the story about?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: I arrived in Nigeria, in Lagos on the 14th of October 2015, I was arrested ( reporter cuts in asking ’from where’?) from London. I was arrested for demanding freedom for my people because I run Radio Biafra in London and the authorities didn't like it, then I had to go down, I had to go home to basically see my people and they arrested me and kept me locked away for 19 months

Israeli Reporter: 19 months?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Yes, despite two court judgements to set me free. They took me to court

Israeli Reporter: More than a year and a half in custody?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Absolutely, without trial and then they eventually granted me bail with very stringent conditions, when I came out I continued to speak to my people, I continued to practice Judaism, my Jewish faith and one day they came to my house to kill me, the Nigerian Army came to my house to kill me.

Israeli Reporter: What was it like I mean?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: (Paused) I wouldn't wish anybody to go through it, they killed 28 people in the process

Israeli Reporter: How many?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: 28 people died

Israeli Reporter: By their attempt to kill you?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: To kill me, they killed 28 people

Israeli Reporter: How come they killed 28 people and they didn't get to you?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Because my people evacuated me before they could get to my bedroom.

Israeli Reporter: And then you flew away?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Then they took me away and smuggled me out of Nigeria, I needed some time to recover, which I did and then I had to make my way to Israel.

Israeli Reporter: I see you're very excited

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: I am...but I wouldn't call it excitement, I would say relieved that I managed to make it to the only place I feel safe in the whole world, I could have gone back to England, but I still don't feel safe to go back to England, that why I stayed in England.

Israeli Reporter: Okay, we are approaching the end of this conversation... Do you have any expectation from Israel government? From the Israeli society?

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Yes, it is to live up to the obligations to defend Judaism and Jewish faith all over the world, we are been persecuted, we are suffering as a people and it is the responsibility, I believe, more of the responsibility of Israel to make sure that Biafra stands as an ’Independent entity’ in Africa.

Israeli Reporter: Nnamdi Igbo... (Sorry) Nnamdi Kanu from the Igbo people in Biafra I want to thank you so much for this conversation. I wish you all the best on a personal level, thank you so much.

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: Thank you, Thank you.

(Ends Interview)

Typed by Uju Amobi.