Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has appealed to United States President Donald Trump to support an independent international investigation into alleged killings and persecution in the South-East.
In a letter dated November 6, 2025, and delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja by his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu urged Washington to act on Trump’s recent remarks warning of possible U.S. intervention if Nigeria fails to protect Christian communities.
Kanu said Trump’s comments had “renewed hope” among people in the South-East who, according to him, believe they have been victims of targeted attacks. He called for a U.S.-led inquiry with access to sites and testimonies he says could document mass killings.
“You have seen the truth. Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat,” Kanu wrote, adding that communities in the Igbo-speaking region “continue to endure hardship and violence.”
He referenced past reports by Amnesty International and UN Special Rapporteurs as evidence of large-scale abuses over the last decade. He also pointed to his continued detention despite a 2022 Court of Appeal ruling that ordered his release, describing his incarceration as unlawful and politically motivated.
“My detention is arbitrary and violates both domestic and international law,” he stated, citing the findings of a UN Working Group that had previously faulted the government’s handling of his case.
Kanu asked the U.S. to consider several measures, including:
A U.S.-led fact-finding mission on alleged killings in the South-East
Emergency Congressional hearings on the situation
Targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act
U.S. backing for a referendum on self-determination
He insisted his call was nonviolent, saying: “One inquiry, one sanction, could save lives. History will judge the choices made at moments like this.”
The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims of persecution and genocide in the South-East. Officials say ongoing security operations in the region are focused on armed groups, including those linked to IPOB, accused of attacks on security personnel, public facilities and residents.
The government maintains that it is responding to criminal violence, not targeting any ethnic or religious group.
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