The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has written an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, alleging that a “genocide” is being carried out against Christians and Igbos in Nigeria.
In the letter, which was made public on Thursday, Kanu commended President Trump’s October 31, 2025 declaration that the United States was prepared to take military action or cut aid if Nigeria failed to protect its Christian population. He said the statement had “ignited hope in the hearts of millions who have been abandoned by the world.”
According to Kanu, the persecution of Christians in Nigeria has spread beyond the northern region to the Southeast, where he claimed that “Judeo-Christians are being systematically exterminated under the guise of counter-terrorism.”
“I write to you now to reveal that this genocide is not confined to the North—it has metastasized into the Igbo heartland,” Kanu stated. “Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat.”
Identifying himself as a “peaceful, non-violent” advocate for self-determination, the IPOB leader recounted surviving four assassination attempts allegedly orchestrated by the Nigerian government since 2015. He also revisited his 2021 abduction from Kenya, describing it as an “extraordinary rendition” condemned by the Kenyan High Court.
“Despite this ruling, I was illegally transported to Nigeria and thrown into solitary detention in Abuja without a valid subsisting charge and for the sole crime of defending my people’s right to life, faith, and self-determination,” he said.
Kanu further accused the Nigerian military of committing atrocities in the South-East and other Igbo-speaking parts of Benue, Kogi, and Delta States, alleging that “state complicity” enables extremist-backed forces such as Boko Haram and ISWAP.
“The same extremist-backed forces you have condemned in the North operate with state complicity in the South-East,” he claimed. “Here, the Nigerian military itself is the primary perpetrator, shielded by a false narrative that blames victims.”
The separatist leader also accused the government of weaponizing insecurity to discredit IPOB.
“Since my illegal rendition, Nigeria has declared IPOB a terrorist organization despite zero evidence of violence, orchestrated ‘unknown gunmen’ attacks using state-backed militias, and killed over 2,000 Igbo youths in so-called counter-terrorism operations,” Kanu alleged.
He likened the situation to Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, warning that the international community’s silence could enable further mass atrocities.
As of the time of this report, the Nigerian government has not responded to Kanu’s letter or the allegations contained in it.