A Letter from Nnamdi Kanu to the US President
In a letter dated 6 November, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), claimed that the alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria is not limited to the northern part of the country. Instead, he stated that it also occurs in the southeast, where extremist groups are said to operate with state support.
Kanu, who is currently in custody of the State Security Services, addressed his concerns directly to US President Donald Trump. Through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, he sent the letter to the US Embassy in Abuja. In it, he described the situation as a systematic extermination of Judeo-Christians under the guise of counter-terrorism.
Allegations of Violence and Massacres
According to Kanu, groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militias operate in the southeast alongside the Nigerian military, which he labeled as the “primary perpetrator” of violence against Igbo Christians. He claimed these forces are shielded by a false narrative that blames the victims.
Kanu provided examples of specific incidents, alleging that security agencies were responsible for killings in the region. He cited an incident in 2016 where security forces opened fire on peaceful Christian worshippers at St Edmund’s Catholic Church, resulting in multiple deaths and bodies being dumped in rivers. The same year, soldiers executed praying students at the National High School in Aba and buried their bodies in a borrow pit.
He referenced reports from Amnesty International, which noted at least 150 peaceful Christian worshippers killed in 2016, with bodies dumped in rivers. Additionally, UN Special Rapporteur Agnès Callamard confirmed that at least 60 people were killed and over 70 injured during prayers at St. Edmund’s Catholic Church. Kanu added that 22 people were killed on-site in Aba, and 13 bodies were later exhumed from a borrow pit. He claimed children were executed for singing “Sweet Jesus.”
Calls for US Intervention
Kanu urged Mr. Trump to launch a US-led inquiry into “state-sponsored massacres of Judeo-Christians in Eastern Nigeria.” He requested full access to mass graves, military logs, and survivor testimonies. Additionally, he asked for an emergency Congressional hearing on the matter.
US Response and Designation of Nigeria
Mr. Kanu’s letter was released days after Mr. Trump designated Nigeria a country of Particular Concern and threatened military action over an inaccurate claim of Christian genocide. The US president warned that the military might be ordered to “wipe out the radical Islamic terrorists” responsible for attacks on Christians if the Nigerian government fails to act.
Despite warnings from local and international experts that describing the Nigerian security situation as an attack on Christians is reductionist and inaccurate, Mr. Trump continued to maintain his stance. He emphasized the US’s commitment to saving the “Great Christian Population around the World.”
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” he declared.
Personal Ordeal and Legal Struggles
Responding to this, Mr. Kanu told Mr. Trump that the US President’s claims were factual. He wrote, “You have seen the truth: Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat.”
Kanu also detailed his personal ordeal, claiming he was “forcibly abducted from Kenya in 2021 in an extraordinary rendition operation—an act that violated Kenyan and international law.” He was illegally transported to Nigeria and thrown into solitary detention in Abuja without a valid subsisting charge. His only crime, he claimed, was defending his people’s right to life, faith, and self-determination under international law.
However, contrary to Kanu’s claim, his trial for alleged treason continued in court after the Supreme Court overruled the Court of Appeal and ordered his trial. The state has presented its witnesses, but Kanu’s refusal to present a defense has stalled the proceedings.
On Thursday, the Federal High Court gave Kanu a “final chance” to present his defense. The trial continues on Friday.