The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written to the United States President Donald Trump, commending him for showing interest in taking action against terrorists responsible for what he described as a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
In the letter, Kanu stated that Trump’s comments about the killing of Christians in Nigeria were “factual and verifiable.”
Applauding Trump’s courage to speak up, the IPOB leader added that Jewish adherents were also under attack and claimed to have documentary evidence to support his position.
Kanu cited numerous instances of violent attacks against people of the Judeo-Christian faith, referencing media publications as proof.
A copy of the letter, dated November 6 and made available through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, read partly:
“Your Excellency, I extend warm greetings to you in the name of the Judeo-Christian faith and values we both hold dear. As a practising Jew and a believer in the Judeo-Christian heritage that shaped Western civilisation, I was honoured to attend your campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, in January 2020.
“Your bold declaration on October 31, 2025—that the United States is ‘prepared to act’ militarily and cut aid if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population—has ignited hope in the hearts of millions who have been abandoned by the world. You have seen the truth: Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat.”
Kanu said the violence against Christians was not confined to the northern region but had spread to the South-East and South-South.
“I write to you now to reveal that this genocide is not confined to the North—it has metastasised into the Igbo heartland, where Judeo-Christians are being systematically exterminated under the guise of counter-terrorism,” he stated.
The IPOB leader also drew Trump’s attention to his abduction and extraordinary rendition from Kenya since June 2021.
“I am Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)—a peaceful, non-violent civil rights movement rooted in Judeo-Christian principles.
“Since 2015, I have survived four documented assassination attempts by the Nigerian state. On 20 June 2021, I was forcibly abducted from Kenya in an extraordinary rendition operation—an act that violated Kenyan and international law, as condemned by a Kenyan High Court ruling (Petition No. E282 of 2021).
“Despite this ruling, I was illegally transported to Nigeria and thrown into solitary detention in Abuja, without a valid charge, for the sole crime of defending my people’s right to life, faith, and self-determination under international law.”
Kanu recalled that on 13 October 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja discharged and acquitted him of all charges, ruling that his rendition was illegal and unconstitutional.
“The court ordered my immediate and unconditional release. Yet, I remain in solitary detention—over 1,596 days since my abduction. The Nigerian government defied its own judiciary, refusing to release me as ordered. I was never released, so there was no re-arrest—only continued unlawful imprisonment,” he wrote.
He added that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had declared his detention “arbitrary, unlawful, and politically motivated.”
According to him, the Nigerian government has weaponised insecurity to demonise IPOB while granting amnesty to terrorists and bandits.
Kanu demanded an internationally supervised commission of inquiry to investigate what he called the “Judeo-Christian genocide” in Nigeria, citing several documented massacres in the South-East.
“The same extremist-backed forces you have condemned in the North—Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militias—operate with state complicity in the South-East and Igbo-speaking territories of Benue, Kogi, and Delta,” he alleged.
He also referenced the killing of 20 IPOB members during a pro-Trump rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on January 20, 2017.
Kanu accused security forces of staging “unknown gunmen” attacks to justify a violent crackdown on the group.
“Since my illegal rendition, Nigeria has declared IPOB a ‘terrorist organisation’ despite zero evidence of violence (confirmed by the U.S. State Department, 2021). Orchestrated ‘unknown gunmen’ attacks using state-backed militias, then blamed IPOB. Killed over 2,000 Igbo youths in ‘counter-terrorism’ operations (Intersociety, 2021–2025). This is Rwanda’s playbook: create chaos, blame the victim, justify extermination,” he said.
He urged Trump to launch a U.S.-led investigation into the alleged massacres and impose targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials implicated in human rights abuses.
“Dear Trump, You said America will act. Now is the moment. I respectfully urge you to: launch an independent inquiry into state-sponsored massacres of Judeo-Christians in Eastern Nigeria; convene Congressional hearings on the Igbo Christian genocide; and support an internationally supervised referendum for self-determination,” he appealed.
“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. I remain steadfast in peace, faith, and non-violence—even from a prison cell. IPOB rejects every form of violence. We seek only justice, truth, and freedom.”
He concluded his letter with a prayer: “May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—who delivered Israel from Pharaoh—grant you wisdom and courage to deliver His people once again.”
