By Ademuyiwa Balikis
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written a formal letter to United States President Donald J. Trump, calling for an independent U.S.-led inquiry into what he described as state sponsored massacres and persecution of Igbo Christians in Nigeria.
The four page letter, dated November 6, 2025, was addressed to Trump through the Embassy of the United States in Abuja. It was written from Kanu’s detention cell at the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters in Abuja and signed by his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor.
Kanu, who has been in custody since his controversial rendition from Kenya in June 2021, accused the Nigerian government and security forces of systematically exterminating Igbo Christians under the guise of counter-terrorism operations.
“You have the power to stop a second Rwanda in Africa. One tweet, one sanction, one inquiry could save millions,” Kanu appealed to Trump in the letter.
He cited reports from Amnesty International, UN Special Rapporteurs, and Intersociety as evidence of widespread killings in the South-East, referencing several incidents including:
The Nkpor Biafra Heroes Day massacre (May 30, 2016), where over 150 worshippers were allegedly killed;
The National High School Aba killings (February 9, 2016), involving the deaths of Christian students;
The Operation Python Dance II raid (September 2017), which he described as an assassination attempt on his life; and
The Obigbo massacre (October 2020), during which soldiers allegedly targeted Christian supporters.
Kanu also accused the Nigerian government of ignoring a Court of Appeal judgment delivered on October 13, 2022, which discharged and acquitted him of all charges, declaring his rendition illegal and unconstitutional. Despite this ruling, he said, he remains in solitary confinement, a situation the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention described as unlawful and politically motivated.
In his appeal to the U.S. President, Kanu urged Washington to take four key steps:
1. Launch a U.S.-led independent inquiry into alleged state-backed killings of Judeo-Christians in Eastern Nigeria.
2. Convene emergency Congressional hearings on what he called the Igbo Christian genocide.
3. Impose targeted Magnitsky Act sanctions on Nigerian officials accused of complicity, including Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Ambassador to Benin) and DSS Director-General Yusuf Bichi.
4. Support an internationally supervised referendum on self-determination for the Igbo people.
“We seek only justice, truth, and freedom,” Kanu wrote. “I remain steadfast in peace, faith, and non-violence, even from a prison cell. IPOB rejects every form of violence.”
The IPOB leader is scheduled to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja tomorrow, Friday, November 7, 2025, where the court is expected to determine whether he will open his defence or waive his right in his ongoing trial.
“May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who delivered Israel from Pharaoh grant you wisdom and courage to deliver His people once again.” added kanu
Attached to the letter were several documents, including copies of court rulings from Nigeria and Kenya, UN reports, and Amnesty International investigations supporting his claims.
