Former Chairman of the US House Subcommittee on Africa and current member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Representative John James, has argued that the continued detention and recent conviction of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, reflects a pattern of religious persecution in Nigeria.
James made the remarks on Thursday during a public hearing convened by the US House Subcommittee on Africa to review President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged religious freedom violations. The session featured senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
Speaking at the hearing, James asserted that the Nigerian government had disregarded both domestic and international legal directives concerning Kanu’s case.
“Religious persecution is tied to political repression and weakening institutions in Nigeria. The detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a clear example,” he said.
James noted that the Court of Appeal in Nigeria had, in 2022, dismissed the charges against Kanu and ordered his release—an order that was never implemented. He added that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had similarly called for Kanu’s unconditional release.
“Yet he remains in solitary confinement in deteriorating health and recently had to represent himself in court,” James said.
“Nigeria has signaled that the law is optional and targeting Christians is fair game. Just hours ago this morning, despite the pleas and cries of Nigerian people and many Nigerian lawmakers, Kanu was convicted on all charges.”
Nnamdi Kanu was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment on terrorism-related charges, a ruling that has sparked renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s judicial process and its human rights record amid the ongoing CPC review.