The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written to United States President Donald Trump, urging him to initiate an independent investigation into what he described as “state-sponsored genocidal killings” targeting Christians and Igbo people in Nigeria’s South-East region.
The appeal was contained in a letter dated November 6, 2025, and delivered through the U.S. Embassy in Abuja. In the letter, Kanu—who has remained in solitary confinement at the Department of State Services (DSS) facility—commended Trump’s recent remarks that the U.S. was “prepared to act militarily and cut aid if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population.”
According to the letter obtained by Sahara Reporters, Kanu called for a “U.S.-led independent inquiry” with full access to mass graves, military records, and survivor accounts. He urged Trump to take concrete action, stating:
“You have seen the truth: Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat. This genocide has metastasized into the Igbo heartland, where Judeo-Christians are being systematically exterminated under the guise of counter-terrorism.”
Kanu referenced several incidents—including the 2016 Nkpor and Aba killings, the 2017 Operation Python Dance in his hometown of Afaraukwu, and the 2020 Obigbo massacre—as evidence of what he termed a “hidden genocide.”
Citing reports from Amnesty International, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, and Nigeria’s Intersociety group, Kanu alleged that peaceful Christian worshippers were targeted and killed by security forces under the command of then-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai.
He described Buratai’s later appointment as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic as “a reward for impunity,” asserting that it allowed him to evade international prosecution.
Kanu also recounted his personal ordeal, alleging multiple assassination attempts and his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021—a move declared illegal by a Kenyan High Court. He reminded Trump that Nigeria’s Court of Appeal had discharged and acquitted him in October 2022, but that the government “defied its own judiciary” by keeping him in detention.
Quoting the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Kanu said his imprisonment had been declared “arbitrary, unlawful, and politically motivated,” describing it as “a state capture of the rule of law to silence a Judeo-Christian voice.”
He urged the U.S. to:
Convene emergency Congressional hearings on the alleged “Igbo Christian genocide.”
Impose Magnitsky Act sanctions on key Nigerian officials, including former Army Chief Buratai and former DSS Director-General Yusuf Bichi.
Support an internationally supervised referendum on Igbo self-determination as “the only peaceful path to ending this circle of violence.”
“Mr. President, history will judge us by what we do when genocide knocks. You have the power to stop a second Rwanda in Africa. One tweet, one sanction, one inquiry could save millions.”
He signed off as “Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, Leader, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Prisoner of Conscience – DSS Custody, Abuja,” reaffirming his commitment to non-violence and faith.
“We seek only justice, truth, and freedom, even from a prison cell. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob grant you wisdom and courage to deliver His people once again.”
