A United States lawmaker has renewed his push for the release of jailed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader Nnamdi Kanu, tying the case to allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
Congressman John James, a Republican representing Michigan, made the appeal on the floor of the US House of Representatives on Thursday.
He was speaking in support of H.Res. 1321, a resolution he introduced on May 22 and which now sits before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The measure calls on Nigeria’s government to ensure that any legal proceedings against Kanu meet constitutional requirements and international human rights standards.
IPOB is a separatist group that has campaigned for an independent Biafran state in southeastern Nigeria and is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Nigerian authorities.
During his remarks, James accused Nigeria’s government of failing to adequately address attacks on Christians, alleging that tens of thousands have been killed in religiously motivated violence since 2019.
“Since 2019, tens of thousands of Christians in Nigeria have been slaughtered as part of a sustained pattern of religiously motivated violence by Islamist jihadis ignored or enabled by the Nigerian government,” James said.
He also criticised Boko Haram, the militant group that has waged an insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast since 2009, saying it operates without sufficient action from authorities.
Congressman Pushes Bill for New Trial or Release
On Kanu’s case specifically, James described the IPOB leader as a victim of an unfair trial and called for either a fresh hearing or his immediate release.
“I implore my colleagues to support my bill, H.Res. 1321, calling on the Nigerian government to conduct another trial in accordance with its own constitution based on evidence with access to legal counsel, medical care, and international law pertaining to humane conditions of detention, or better yet, release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu immediately and unconditionally,” he said.
James, a former US Army officer first elected to Congress in 2023, has positioned himself as a vocal advocate for religious freedom issues in Africa.
He warned that continued American financial support for Nigeria would face closer scrutiny over the matter.
“America gives billions to Nigeria. We will not continue to fund a Christian genocide,” James said, adding that the US has a responsibility to protect religious freedom abroad.
Background to Kanu’s Detention and Trial
Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment on November 20, 2025, after a High Court in Abuja convicted him on terrorism charges.
He is currently held at the Sokoto State Correctional Facility.
The resolution cites a July 20, 2022 opinion from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which found that Kanu’s detention violated international human rights obligations and recommended his release.
Nigerian authorities have consistently rejected such findings, insisting that Kanu’s prosecution followed due process under domestic law.
The dispute over his case has strained relations between Abuja and members of the Nigerian diaspora in the US and Europe.
It remains unclear whether H.Res. 1321 will advance beyond committee review, as similar resolutions on Nigeria have previously stalled in Congress.
For now, the matter adds another layer to Washington’s continuing conversation about religious freedom and human rights conditions in Nigeria.
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