Nnamdi Kanu Urges Trump to Launch U.S.-Led Probe into Alleged Killings in South-East Nigeria

Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has written to United States President Donald Trump, calling for an independent international investigation into alleged killings and persecution of Christians and Igbo communities in the South-East.

In the letter dated November 6, 2025, and conveyed through his counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, Kanu appealed to Trump to act on his recent warning that the U.S. could “deploy military action and cut aid” if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population.

Kanu said the statement had “ignited hope among millions who feel abandoned,” and urged the U.S. government to lead a fact-finding mission with full access to evidence, mass grave sites, and eyewitness testimonies.

“You have seen the truth: Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat,” he wrote. “This crisis deeply affects the Igbo heartland, where Judeo-Christian communities continue to endure hardship.”

The IPOB leader cited multiple incidents, including reports by Amnesty International and findings from UN Special Rapporteurs, alleging mass killings of worshippers and community members in the region over the past decade.

He also referenced his ongoing detention since 2015, despite the Court of Appeal’s 2022 judgment discharging him. Kanu said his continued incarceration violates legal protections and international human rights standards.

“My detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and politically motivated,” he stated, invoking a UN Working Group report that criticised his prolonged confinement.

Kanu further called for:

A U.S.-led independent inquiry into alleged killings in the South-East

Emergency Congressional hearings on what he described as an “Igbo Christian crisis”

Consideration of targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act

U.S. support for an internationally supervised referendum on self-determination

He stressed that his demands are based on peace, not violence.

“One tweet, one sanction, one inquiry could save millions,” Kanu wrote. “History will judge us by what we do when genocide knocks.”

The Nigerian government has consistently denied allegations of ethnic or religious persecution, insisting that security operations in the South-East target armed groups and criminal networks responsible for violence and attacks in the region.