Three Igbo diaspora groups have petitioned Donald Trump, seeking sanctions on Nigerian judges over Kanu’s detention.
Three Igbo diaspora organisations have petitioned US President Donald Trump, urging sanctions on five Nigerian judges for alleged roles in the prolonged detention of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The groups—American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Rising Sun Charities Organisation, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination—filed the petition under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
“The three non-profit organisations urge Magnitsky sanctions against a quintet of Nigerian judges implicated in the persecution of Biafran leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the petition reads. They also named former Attorney General Abubakar Malami for allegedly orchestrating Kanu’s kidnapping, torture, and rendition from Kenya.
The petition cites violations including “arbitrary detention as determined by the UN Working Group, denial of fair trial, and endorsement of extraordinary rendition.”
The groups argued that judges “enjoy no immunity for gross violations of internationally recognised human rights” and referenced past US sanctions on foreign jurists.
Kanu’s detention has sparked global criticism since his 2015 arrest.