Two prominent Diaspora Igbo groups, the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) and Rising Sun & Ambassadors for Self Defense (RSASD), recently visited Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The groups met with members of the United States Congress to lobby for the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and to raise awareness about the escalating violence in Nigeria perpetrated by bandits and criminal herdsmen.
The delegation’s primary focus was the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, who has been held in solitary confinement since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021. Dr. Sylvester Onyia, President of AVID, who led the group, expressed deep concern over Kanu’s prolonged imprisonment and the dire human rights violations he has suffered since his capture.
Kanu’s legal team and supporters have consistently argued that his detention violates international human rights laws, and his treatment is unjust. Dr. Onyia reiterated this point, highlighting how Kanu had been abducted from Kenya, a move they argue contravenes international protocols, and subjected to inhumane conditions in detention. “Kanu is a victim of a crime perpetrated by the nation of Nigeria,” stated Bruce Fein, Kanu’s international lawyer, during the Capitol Hill meetings. Fein went on to claim that Nigeria had violated 16 human rights covenants by keeping Kanu in solitary confinement for over three years.
Fein also drew attention to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which had unambiguously called for Kanu’s immediate and unconditional release. Despite these international calls, Kanu remains incarcerated, fueling anger among his supporters both in Nigeria and abroad.
In addition to advocating for Kanu’s release, the groups also pressed the United States government to take stronger action on Nigeria’s worsening security crisis. Dr. Onyia called on the US to re-designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to the growing violence and human rights abuses committed by bandits and criminal herdsmen, particularly in the Middle Belt and southeastern regions.
The United States had previously labeled Nigeria a CPC during the Trump administration in response to the country’s religious and ethnic violence. However, the Biden administration removed Nigeria from the watchlist upon taking office. Dr. Onyia urged Congress to reconsider this decision, stressing that the ongoing violence in Nigeria warranted renewed attention.
“We are dealing with more than just a farmer-herder conflict,” Dr. Onyia said. “What is happening in Nigeria is a full-scale ethnic cleansing and genocide against indigenous populations, especially Christians, who are being slaughtered by armed groups with impunity.”
The delegation’s concerns about Nigeria’s security situation were not just limited to Kanu’s case. They also highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country. Rev. Father Augustine Odinmegwa, a member of the delegation, painted a grim picture of the unchecked violence committed by criminal groups, particularly Fulani herdsmen and bandits.
“The atrocities of the bandits and Fulani herdsmen are genocidal,” Rev. Odinmegwa asserted. He accused these groups of carrying out calculated attacks on indigenous Nigerian communities under the guise of a “herder-farmer” conflict. According to the delegation, this narrative is a smokescreen for a larger, more sinister agenda—ethnic and religious cleansing, particularly targeting Christians.
Rev. Odinmegwa also criticized the Nigerian government for its failure to protect its citizens. He cited the increasing number of killings and kidnappings carried out by bandits and criminal groups, particularly in Plateau, Benue, and the southeast regions, which have been ravaged by violence in recent years. He warned that if the international community did not act swiftly, these groups would soon extend their activities to the oil-rich southeastern region, posing a threat to both Nigeria’s national stability and international interests.
With no end in sight to the violence, the delegation also urged local leaders, particularly in southeastern Nigeria, to take matters into their own hands. Dr. Onyia called for the establishment of community vigilante groups to protect citizens from the attacks by bandits and herders. He stressed that, given the government’s failure to secure the lives and properties of the people, local communities must take the initiative to defend themselves.
“We cannot continue to wait for a government that has proven itself incapable of safeguarding the lives of its citizens,” Dr. Onyia said. “It is time for us to act—this means organizing and equipping local security forces to protect our people.”
John Gregg, an American member of the delegation who has spent 20 years in Nigeria, warned that the situation in the southeast could have wider repercussions for global security. He said, “If we don’t intervene now, that region is going to implode, and we will see a massive outflow of refugees seeking asylum in the US and other parts of the world.” Gregg also cited statistics showing that nearly 40,000 people, mostly Christians, have been killed or displaced by the violence over the past decade.
The visit to Capitol Hill followed a peaceful protest in Washington DC led by leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other religious groups. The protestors, dressed in black, red, and white, marched to the US Capitol to demand justice for the victims of violence in Nigeria and call for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
Rev. Amos Mohzo, the President of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), who also participated in the protest, expressed outrage at the ongoing killings and human rights violations in Nigeria. He condemned the government’s failure to protect its citizens and demanded action to end the attacks on Christian communities. “These brutal attacks represent a violation of human rights and a stain on our national conscience,” Rev. Mohzo said.
The protest and lobbying efforts are part of a growing movement among the Igbo diaspora in the United States to draw international attention to the plight of their people in Nigeria. As the violence continues to escalate, these groups are pushing for greater international pressure on the Nigerian government to address the root causes of the crisis and protect its citizens from further harm.
