By Muhammad Mamman
A coalition of Igbo diaspora organisations has petitioned former U.S. President Donald Trump over the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The petition, dated 28 August 2025, was submitted through Kanu’s international counsel, Bruce Fein, by groups including the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Rising Sun Charities Organisation, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination.
In their submission, the groups urged the application of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10102(c)) and Executive Order 13818 to Kanu’s case. They cited multiple judicial pronouncements, including rulings by Nigerian and Kenyan courts, as well as a 2022 opinion from the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which called for his unconditional release.
The petitioners argued that Kanu’s prolonged detention in defiance of these rulings raises grave human rights concerns, undermining internationally guaranteed rights to a fair trial, freedom of association, and peaceful self-determination.
They also recalled Kanu’s ordeals since 2015, including the proscription of IPOB and his controversial transfer from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021 – a development that drew international criticism.
Appealing to U.S. authorities, the groups noted that Washington had previously taken strong positions against human rights violations in other countries and should do the same in this case.
The petition further stressed that, decades after the devastation of the Biafran War, grievances fuelling calls for self-determination remain unresolved. The groups expressed hope that international intervention could pave the way for justice, fairness, and a lasting resolution in Kanu’s case.
