Washington — Several pro-Igbo groups in the diaspora have petitioned former U.S. President Donald Trump over the continued detention of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The petition, dated August 28, 2025, was submitted through Kanu’s international lawyer, Bruce Fein. It urged the application of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and Executive Order 13818 to his case.
The groups — including the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Rising Sun Charities Organization, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination — argued that Kanu’s prolonged detention despite multiple judicial rulings violated international human rights standards. They cited judgments from Nigerian and Kenyan courts, as well as a 2022 United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention opinion calling for his unconditional release.
Kanu, they noted, has faced repeated ordeals since 2015, including the proscription of IPOB and his 2021 transfer from Kenya to Nigeria, which has drawn international scrutiny. They contended that his rights to fair trial, free association, and peaceful self-determination remain under threat.
The petitioners urged the U.S. government to act, pointing to past American interventions against human rights violations abroad. They added that despite the devastation of the Biafran War, demands for self-determination endure due to unresolved grievances, and international intervention could help ensure fairness and justice in Kanu’s case.
