- Safiu Kehinde
The embattled leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has written to the United States President, Donald Trump, over the alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Kanu, who is set to appear before the Abuja Federal High Court for the resumption of his trial on Friday, issued a letter to Trump in reaction to the US President’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” as well as his threat to carry out military action on terrorists in the country.
As contained in the letter issued on Thursday and submitted to the US Embassy in Abuja by the IPOB leader’s legal counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu hailed Trump for action against Nigeria over the alleged genocidal attack on Christians.
The declaration, according to Kanu, has ignited hope in the heart of millions of Nigerian Christians.
He however noted that the genocidal attack is not only limited to northern part of the country but has over the years extended to the southeast with IPOB members who he claimed to be Judeo-Christians alleged targeted and killed in different attacks.
While recounting his ordeal since his arrest and detention, Kanu highlighted series of killings across the southeast which occurred between 2016 to 2020.
He alleged that unlike the northern region and other states where Boko Haram and other terrorists’ groups were responsible for the killings in the areas, the Nigerian Army were responsible for what he labelled a hidden genocide against Judeo-Christians in eastern Nigeria.
Notable amongst the highlighted attacks were the Nkpo Biafra Day massacre where over 150 people were killed with their bodies dumped in river in 2016; and killing of 22 people with 13 bodies exhumed from pit near Aba-Port Harcourt Road also in 2016.
Kanu also included the Operation Python Dance attack at his hometown in 2017.
The incident, he claimed led to the death of over 150 people while no soldier was killed.
The IPOB leader further accused the Nigerian government of demonising the secessionist group, labelling it a terrorist organisation.
He alleged that the recent killings in the southeast were orchestrated by state-backed militias and blamed on IPOB.
In what he described as Rwanda playbook, Kanu held that over 2000 Igbo youths have been killed between 2021 to 2025.
He thereafter listed his demands which include the US launching of an independent inquiry into the alleged state-sponsored massacre of Judeo-Christians in the southeast.
Kanu also called for the convening of an emergency congressional hearing on the Igbo Christian genocide while imposing magnitsky act sanctions on former Nigerian Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, and former Department of State Security (DSS) Director-General, Yusuf Bichi.
He finally called for the US support of the internationally supervised referendum on self-determination for the Igbo people.
See letter below
