The embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written an open letter to United States President Donald Trump, raising alarm over what he described as an ongoing genocide against Christians and Igbos in Nigeria.
Kanu, who is currently detained by Nigerian authorities, commended Trump’s recent statement on the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria, describing it as a “beacon of hope” for millions facing religious violence across the country.
In the letter, Kanu claimed that the k?lling of Christians has now extended beyond Northern Nigeria into the Southeast, targeting Igbos and Judeo-Christian communities.
“I extend warm greetings to you in the name of the Judeo-Christian faith and values we both hold dear. As a practicing Jew and a believer in the Judeo-Christian heritage that shaped Western civilization, I was honored to attend your campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa, in January 2020,” Kanu wrote.
He praised Trump’s October 31, 2025 declaration that the U.S. was “prepared to act militarily” and cut aid to Nigeria if the government failed to protect its Christian population.
“Your bold declaration 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 stated.
Kanu: ‘Genocide Has Spread to the Igbo Heartland’
The IPOB leader alleged that the persecution of Christians has now “metastasized into the Igbo heartland”, where Judeo-Christians are being “systematically exterminated under the guise of counter-terrorism.”
Kanu introduced himself in the letter as:
“Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu, Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a peaceful, non-violent civil rights movement rooted in Judeo-Christian principles.”
He recounted surviving four assassination attempts allegedly orchestrated by the Nigerian government since 2015, adding that he was forcibly abducted from Kenya in June 2021 in what he described as an “extraordinary rendition operation” that violated both Kenyan and international law.
“Despite a Kenyan High Court ruling condemning the act, I was illegally transported to Nigeria and thrown into solitary detention in Abuja without a valid subsisting charge—simply for defending my people’s right to life, faith, and self-determination,” Kanu wrote.
Allegations of State-Backed Violence
In the letter, Kanu accused the Nigerian government of weaponizing insecurity to demonize IPOB and justify mass k?llings 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. But here, the Nigerian military itself is the primary perpetrator, shielded by a false narrative that blames victims,” he alleged.
According to him, the government has used fabricated “unknown gunmen” attacks to frame IPOB while carrying out widespread human rights abuses.
Kanu cited data from rights group Intersociety (2021–2025), alleging that over 2,000 Igbo youths have been killed in the name of “counter-terrorism” operations.
“This is Rwanda’s playbook: create chaos, blame the victim, and justify extermination,” he warned.
Nnamdi Kanu, a British-Nigerian activist, has been in detention since his controversial re-arrest in 2021. He leads IPOB, a separatist movement calling for the restoration of an independent Biafra Republic. The Nigerian government has designated IPOB a terrorist organization, a claim repeatedly rejected by the group and denied by the U.S. State Department in its 2021 human rights report.
Kanu’s open letter to Trump comes amid heightened international attention on religious freedom and alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria, following recent statements from the U.S. president and ongoing congressional investigations led by Congressman Riley Moore.
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