Pro-Igbo diaspora groups petition US President Trump to sanction Nigerian judges and a former Attorney General over the detention of Nnamdi Kanu.
Several prominent pro-Igbo organizations in the diaspora, including the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Rising Sun Charities Organization, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination, have petitioned US President Donald Trump, urging him to impose sanctions on five Nigerian jurists and a former Attorney General who served under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The petition cites the alleged roles of these officials in the abduction, extraordinary rendition, detention, and prosecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB).
The petition, dated August 28, 2025, was submitted through Kanu’s international lawyer, Bruce Fein, and seeks to hold the Nigerian officials accountable under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10102(c)) and Executive Order 13818, which empower the United States to sanction foreign individuals responsible for human rights abuses and corruption.
The pro-Igbo groups allege that Kanu’s human rights were systematically violated by the Nigerian judiciary and executive authorities.
The petition enumerates arbitrary detention, denial of access to legal counsel, refusal of essential medical care, and the endorsement of ex-parte bans against IPoB as key examples of abuses committed without due process.
“Nigerian justices and the former Attorney General deserve Global Magnitsky sanctions for violating Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s internationally recognized human rights in defense of free speech, freedom of association, and his right to a fair trial.
“Kanu was peacefully promoting the Biafran people’s right to self-determination as recognized under international law,” the petition stated.
The petitioners further argued that these officials’ actions represent a gross abuse of international human rights conventions, and they stressed that such violations should not go unpunished.
They cited precedents where the US had sanctioned judicial authorities in other countries for similar violations.
For instance, Nazi-era judges were prosecuted in the United States for presiding over sham trials where the outcomes were predetermined, and more recently, a Russian judge was sanctioned for her role in the arbitrary detention of a human rights activist opposing the war in Ukraine.
The petition by the diaspora groups partly read: “Dear Mr. President, we represent the American Veterans of Igbo Descent, Rising Sun Charities Organization, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination.
“These organizations are dedicated to monitoring gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, particularly in Nigeria.
“Pursuant to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and E.O. 13818, we urge that Magnitsky sanctions be imposed against a quintet of Nigerian judges implicated in the persecution of Biafran leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for exercising his rights to free speech, association, and a fair trial.
“Judges enjoy no immunity for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.
“Historical and recent examples demonstrate that judicial authorities have been held accountable abroad for human rights violations.”
The petition also drew attention to the violent 2015 invasion of Kanu’s Umuahia home, which resulted in the deaths of multiple Biafra activists.
The organizations emphasized that Kanu’s advocacy for a referendum and peaceful self-determination falls squarely within internationally recognized rights, and that his prolonged persecution represents a violation of fundamental human rights.
The groups concluded by urging President Trump to act decisively, highlighting that failure to hold the Nigerian officials accountable would signal tolerance for impunity and could embolden further human rights violations against those advocating for self-determination in Nigeria.
“International law protects individuals seeking to exercise their rights to free speech, assembly, and self-determination. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has consistently acted within these rights, and the US has a duty, under the Global Magnitsky Act, to sanction those responsible for violations,” the petition read.
The filing reflects growing concerns among diaspora organizations that the Nigerian government’s handling of pro-Biafra activists undermines basic democratic principles and human rights, and it underscores the increasing use of international legal mechanisms to seek justice for victims of political persecution.