Nnamdi Kanu: Igbo diaspora groups petition Trump over detained IPOB leader

By Steve Oko

Some pro-Igbo groups in the diaspora, including the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Rising Sun Charities Organization, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination, have petitioned former U.S. President Donald Trump over the detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The groups, in a petition dated August 28, 2025, and submitted through Kanu’s international lawyer, Bruce Fein, called for the application of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10102(c)) and Executive Order 13818 in relation to Kanu’s case.

The petition referenced various judicial pronouncements, including those from Nigerian and Kenyan courts, as well as a 2022 United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention opinion, which called for Kanu’s unconditional release.

According to the petitioners, Kanu’s continued detention despite multiple rulings raises serious human rights concerns. They argued that international conventions guarantee rights to fair trial, association, and peaceful self-determination.

The groups recalled that Kanu has faced several ordeals since 2015, including the proscription of IPOB and his 2021 transfer from Kenya to Nigeria, which has remained a subject of international attention.

They urged the U.S. government to consider their petition, citing past instances where the U.S. had acted against violations of human rights in other countries.

The petitioners also stressed that despite the Biafran War’s devastation, calls for self-determination persist due to unresolved grievances, and they expressed hope that international intervention could help ensure fairness and justice in Kanu’s case.

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