Nnamdi Kanu Writes Trump, Alleges Genocide Against Judeo-Christians in Southeast Nigeria

Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written to U.S. President Donald Trump, alleging a “hidden genocide” against Judeo-Christians in Nigeria’s South-East and reaffirming his support for possible U.S. action to address the situation.

The letter, dated ahead of his court appearance before the Federal High Court, Abuja, was personally signed by Kanu, who described himself as a “Prisoner of Conscience” and “four-time survivor of state assassination attempts.”

Kanu accused the Nigerian military of being the “primary perpetrator” of attacks in the South-East, claiming that operations such as “Operation Python Dance” led to widespread killings of Christians under the guise of counter-terrorism.

“This is state-sponsored impunity on a genocidal scale,” he alleged, accusing former Army Chief Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai of overseeing military excesses and benefiting from diplomatic protection through his ambassadorial appointment.

In the four-page letter shared by his lawyer, Barr. Alloy Ejimakor, Kanu praised Trump’s recent declaration that the U.S. was “prepared to act militarily and cut aid” if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population, calling the statement “a beacon of hope for millions abandoned by the world.”

“You have seen the truth: Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat. This genocide is not confined to the North — it has spread into the Igbo heartland, where Judeo-Christians are being systematically exterminated under the guise of counter-terrorism,” Kanu wrote.

Kanu recounted his 2021 abduction from Kenya, describing it as an “extraordinary rendition” that violated both Kenyan and international law, citing the Kenyan High Court’s ruling in his favour (Petition No. E282 of 2021).

He said despite his acquittal by Nigeria’s Court of Appeal in 2022, which ruled that his rendition was “illegal, unconstitutional, and a gross violation of international law,” the government had refused to release him.

“I have been held unlawfully for over 1,596 days since my abduction. The Nigerian government defied its own courts. I was never re-arrested — only continuously detained in violation of both the Constitution and the African Charter,” he said.

Kanu also cited findings by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which declared his detention “arbitrary, unlawful, and politically motivated.”

As part of his demands, Kanu urged Trump to:

• Launch a U.S.-led investigation into alleged massacres of Judeo-Christians in Eastern Nigeria.
• Convene Congressional hearings on what he termed the “Igbo Christian genocide.”
• Impose Magnitsky Act sanctions on individuals including Tukur Buratai, DSS Director Yusuf Bichi, and South-East military commanders.
• Support an internationally-supervised referendum on Igbo self-determination.

“History will judge us by what we do when genocide knocks,” Kanu wrote. “You have the power to prevent another Rwanda in Africa. One tweet, one sanction, one inquiry could save millions.”

He reaffirmed IPOB’s commitment to non-violence, describing the movement as “a peaceful, Judeo-Christian civil rights campaign rooted in faith and truth.”

“May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — who delivered Israel from Pharaoh — grant you wisdom and courage to deliver His people once again,” Kanu concluded.

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