The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has written to U.S. President Donald Trump, requesting an independent investigation into what he described as ongoing attacks on Christians and Igbo communities in Nigeria’s South East.
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The letter, dated November 6, 2025, was submitted through Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja. Kanu, currently held by the Department of State Services (DSS), cited Trump’s recent statement warning that the United States might cut aid or intervene militarily if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population.
Kanu asked that the U.S. lead a thorough inquiry with full access to evidence, survivor testimonies, and mass graves. He emphasized that Christians in the Igbo heartland face existential threats, referencing historical attacks and reports from international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and UN Special Rapporteur Agnès Callamard.
Kanu recounted multiple incidents of targeted violence, including the killing of worshippers in churches, mass graves, and even children executed for singing hymns. He described these attacks as deliberate massacres rather than communal clashes.
He also highlighted his own legal struggles, noting that although the Nigerian Court of Appeal acquitted him in October 2022, he remains in detention. Kanu cited a United Nations report labeling his imprisonment as arbitrary and politically motivated, framing it as part of a broader suppression of Judeo-Christian voices in Nigeria.
In his appeal, Kanu urged the U.S. Congress to hold emergency hearings, consider sanctions under the Magnitsky Act, and support a referendum on Igbo self-determination, describing it as a peaceful solution to ongoing violence. He concluded by calling on Trump to act decisively to prevent further bloodshed, invoking shared Judeo-Christian values.
