Former chairman of the Africa Subcommittee and current member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Representative John James, has asserted that the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), exemplifies religious persecution in Nigeria.
James made this statement during a public hearing held by the United States House Subcommittee on Africa on Thursday. The hearing aimed to review former President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
The session in Washington, DC featured senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders. James highlighted that Nigeria’s Court of Appeal had dismissed the charges against Kanu and ordered his release in 2022.
James remarked, “Religious persecution is intertwined with political repression and weakening institutions in Nigeria. The detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a clear example.”
He continued, “In 2022, Nigeria’s Court of Appeals dismissed the charges against him and mandated his release. The UN Working Group for Arbitrary Detention has also called for his unconditional release, yet he remains in solitary confinement with deteriorating health, recently having to represent himself in court.”
James added, “Nigeria has demonstrated that the law is optional, and targeting Christians is permissible. Just hours ago, despite the pleas and cries of Nigerian people and many Nigerian lawmakers, Kanu was convicted on all charges.”
Nnamdi Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday over terrorism charges.
