The American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), in collaboration with Rising Sun Charities Organisation and Ambassadors for Self-Determination, has petitioned the U.S.

President Donald Trump to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on several Nigerian judges and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami over their alleged roles in the detention and prosecution of Biafra agitator, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In a letter addressed to the president on Friday, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Abuja, the groups accused the Nigerian judiciary of “gross violations of human rights” and complicity in what they described as the unlawful persecution of Kanu, who has been in detention since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021.

The petition specifically listed Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, former Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, and former Attorney General Malami as those who “enabled arbitrary detention, extraordinary rendition, denial of fair trial rights, and suppression of free speech.”

Avid, which has been undertaking a serious campaign to free Nnamdi Kanu, wrote, “Judges enjoy no immunity for gross violations of internationally recognised human rights. Just as Nazi judges were prosecuted for sham trials and Russian judges have faced sanctions for arbitrary detention, Nigerian judges who endorse persecution must also be held accountable.”

The organisations recalled that the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had, in July 2022, declared Kanu’s detention unlawful, finding that it violated 16 international human rights covenants and ordering his immediate release and reparations.

Also speaking, the spokesperson for Rising Sun Charities, Chief Ugochukwu Nwosu, said: “For over three years, Nigeria has openly defied the United Nations ruling, keeping Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in solitary confinement without trial. This is a direct affront to international law and a stain on Nigeria’s judiciary.”

The petition also cited several legal decisions in Kanu’s favour, including a ₦500 million award by the Federal High Court in Umuahia in 2022, and a June 2025 ruling by the Nairobi High Court, which declared his extraordinary rendition illegal and awarded KES 10 million in damages.

They criticised Nigeria for ignoring these rulings and keeping Kanu in solitary confinement for over three years.
They also condemned the 2017 proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group, calling it a politically motivated move without international recognition.

AVID maintained that sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act would hold accountable those who, in their words, “enabled persecution” and send a global message that rights abuses carry consequences.

The petition read in part, “Silence in the face of injustice emboldens dictators. By sanctioning these officials, Nigeria will be sending a clear message that human rights violations carry consequences, no matter where they occur.

“This is about ensuring no judge, no official, and no government can trample on fundamental freedoms without repercussions. The world must not look away.”