 |
| Kanu. |
The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written to former U.S. President Donald Trump, commending him for pledging to confront terrorists responsible for what he called the “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
In his letter, Kanu described Trump’s statement on the killings as “factual and verifiable,” saying it reflected the harsh reality faced by Christians and Jews in the country.
He praised Trump for his boldness in speaking out, while revealing that Jewish followers were also being targeted. According to him, he had gathered documentary evidence proving ongoing violence against people of the Judeo-Christian faith, citing several media reports of such attacks.
A copy of the letter, dated November 6 and released by his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, read in part:
“Your Excellency, I bring you warm greetings in the name of the Judeo-Christian faith and values we both hold dear. As a practising Jew and believer in the Judeo-Christian heritage that shaped Western civilisation, I was honoured to attend your campaign rally 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 rekindled hope among millions abandoned by the international community. You have seen the truth: Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat.”
Kanu insisted that the ongoing violence was not limited to the North but had spread to the South-East and South-South regions.
“I write to reveal that this genocide is no longer confined to the North—it has spread into the Igbo heartland, where Judeo-Christians are being systematically exterminated under the pretext of counter-terrorism,” he wrote.
The IPOB leader also reminded Trump of his abduction and extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021, saying it violated both Kenyan and international law.
“I am Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, leader of IPOB—a peaceful, non-violent 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 kidnapped in Kenya and illegally brought to Nigeria, despite a Kenyan High Court ruling declaring the act unlawful (Petition No. E282 of 2021).”
He added that although Nigeria’s Court of Appeal had acquitted him of all charges in October 2022, ordering his unconditional release, the government continued to keep him in solitary confinement.
“The Nigerian government defied its own judiciary and refused to release me. I was never freed, so there was no re-arrest—only continuous unlawful detention,” he said.
Kanu said the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had also described his detention as “arbitrary, unlawful, and politically motivated.”
He accused Nigerian authorities of turning insecurity into a weapon to demonise IPOB while granting freedom to bandits and terrorists.
According to him, “The same extremist-backed forces condemned in the North—Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militias—are operating with state backing in the South-East and other Igbo-speaking parts of Benue, Kogi, and Delta States.”
He cited the killings of IPOB members during a pro-Trump rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on January 20, 2017, shortly after Trump’s inauguration, as evidence of state-backed persecution.
Kanu further alleged that security forces had created “unknown gunmen” to attack communities and frame IPOB for the violence.
“Since my illegal rendition, the Nigerian government labelled IPOB a terrorist group without proof of violence (confirmed by the U.S. State Department, 2021). Over 2,000 Igbo youths have been killed under the guise of ‘counter-terrorism’ operations between 2021 and 2025,” he said.
Kanu appealed to Trump to lead an international effort to investigate the killings and impose sanctions on Nigerian officials involved.
“Dear Trump, you said America will act. Now is the time. I urge you to launch a U.S.-led inquiry into the state-sponsored massacres of Judeo-Christians in Eastern Nigeria, convene emergency congressional hearings on the Igbo Christian genocide, and impose targeted sanctions on officials complicit in these crimes,” Kanu wrote.
He also called for an internationally supervised referendum for the Igbo people to determine their future.
“Mr President, history will judge us by what we do when genocide comes knocking. You can stop a second Rwanda in Africa. One tweet, one sanction, one investigation could save millions,” he said.
Kanu ended the letter by reaffirming his commitment to peace, saying IPOB remained non-violent.
“I remain firm in faith and non-violence, even from prison. IPOB rejects all forms of violence; we seek only truth, justice, and freedom. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob grant you wisdom and courage to deliver His people once again,” he concluded.
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of News PLATFORM or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!