Detained Biafra leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written to the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, urging him to act against what he described as an ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria.
Kanu, who leads the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), sent the letter from his detention at the State Security Service (SSS) headquarters in Abuja.
The letter, dated 6 November 2025, was addressed to Trump through the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.
“Christians in Nigeria face existential threat”
In the four-page letter, Kanu praised Trump’s recent warning that the U.S. is “prepared to act” if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population. He said Trump’s statement gave hope to millions who feel abandoned by the world.
“You have seen the truth: Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat,” Kanu wrote. “This genocide has spread beyond the North to the Igbo heartland, where Judeo-Christians are being systematically exterminated under the guise of counter-terrorism.”
Claims of illegal abduction and detention
Kanu recounted his June 2021 abduction from Kenya, which he described as an “extraordinary rendition” that violated both Kenyan and international law.
He said he was illegally transported to Nigeria and has been held in solitary detention for over 1,500 days, despite a Court of Appeal judgment in October 2022 that discharged and acquitted him of all charges.
“The Nigerian government defied its own judiciary,” he wrote. “I was never released—only continued unlawful imprisonment.”
Kanu cited the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which reportedly declared his detention “arbitrary, unlawful, and politically motivated.”
List of alleged massacres in Eastern Nigeria
The letter listed several alleged military-led massacres against Igbo Christians, including:
Nkpor Biafra Heroes Day (2016): Over 150 Christian worshippers killed, according to Amnesty International.
Aba School Massacre (2016): Students shot while praying.
Operation Python Dance (2017): Over 150 people killed during a raid on Kanu’s home.
Obigbo Massacre (2020): Civilians and children reportedly killed, with rape used as a weapon.
Trump Solidarity Rally in Port Harcourt (2017): Hundreds of supporters allegedly shot during a pro-Trump event.
Kanu accused the Nigerian military of being the “primary perpetrator” of these attacks, claiming they were covered up by “false narratives that blame the victims.”
Appeal to Donald Trump
He urged President Trump to launch a U.S.-led independent investigation into the killings of Christians in Eastern Nigeria, impose sanctions under the Magnitsky Act on named Nigerian officials, and support an internationally-supervised referendum for the Igbo people.
“History will judge us by what we do when genocide knocks,” Kanu told Trump. “One tweet, one sanction, one inquiry could save millions.”
“We seek only justice, truth, and freedom”
The IPOB leader reaffirmed his commitment to peace and non-violence, declaring: “Even from a prison cell, we reject every form of violence. We seek only justice, truth, and freedom.”
Kanu ended the letter by calling on Trump to help prevent what he described as “a second Rwanda in Africa.”
