Nnamdi Kanu Writes Trump, Alleges Ongoing ‘Judeo-Christian Genocide’ in Nigeria

The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written to President Donald Trump of the United States, commending him for his recent position against what he described as a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.

In the letter dated November 6, 2025, and released through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu praised Trump for declaring that the United States is prepared to take decisive action, including military intervention and suspension of aid, if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population.

Kanu described Trump’s statement as factual and verifiable, claiming that both Christians and Jews are victims of organized persecution in Nigeria. He said he has documented evidence of attacks against adherents of the Judeo-Christian faith, supported by media reports and human rights investigations.

He recalled attending a Trump campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, in January 2020, and said the president’s recent declaration had “ignited hope in millions abandoned by the world.” According to Kanu, the violence is no longer limited to northern Nigeria but has spread into the South-East and South-South, where Judeo-Christian communities face systematic attacks under the guise of counter-terrorism operations.

Kanu also drew attention to his personal ordeal since his abduction and extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021, which he said violated both Kenyan and international law. He noted that the Nigerian Court of Appeal ordered his unconditional release in October 2022 after ruling that his rendition was illegal, yet he remains in solitary detention more than 1,500 days later.

He accused Nigerian security forces of complicity in violent attacks, arguing that while terrorists and bandits are offered amnesty, peaceful IPOB members are targeted with force. He called for an internationally supervised commission of inquiry to investigate alleged state-sponsored killings of Judeo-Christians in Eastern Nigeria.

Kanu cited several incidents to support his claims, including the Nkpor Biafra Heroes Day killings of May 30, 2016, reported by Amnesty International, and the deaths of 20 IPOB members during a pro-Trump rally in Port Harcourt on January 20, 2017. He alleged that state-backed militias have been used to carry out attacks blamed on “unknown gunmen” as part of a campaign to demonize IPOB.

He further claimed that over 2,000 Igbo youths have been killed since 2021 under the cover of counter-terrorism operations, comparing the situation to the early stages of the Rwandan genocide.

In his letter, Kanu urged Trump to take concrete steps to stop the violence, including launching a U.S.-led inquiry into alleged massacres of Judeo-Christians, convening emergency congressional hearings on Nigeria’s defiance of court orders, imposing targeted sanctions on security officials accused of human rights abuses, and supporting a referendum on self-determination for the Igbo people.

He ended his letter by appealing to Trump’s moral responsibility, saying that “one tweet, one sanction, one inquiry could save millions.”

The Nigerian government has not officially responded to Kanu’s letter but has repeatedly denied allegations of religious persecution, maintaining that security operations in the South-East are aimed at restoring peace and containing violent separatist activities.