On August 23, 2023, members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group protested near the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. The BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—convened for their annual meeting.
The American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), a group advocating for Igbo interests, sponsored an event in Washington D.C. on June 24, 2026, presenting recommendations to President Donald Trump. These included ending targeted persecution of Christians and vulnerable communities in Nigeria; countering the expansion of Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani extremist violence; strengthening U.S.-Nigerian security cooperation consistent with American values; and advancing accountability, justice, and human dignity for Nigerians.
Notably, the AVID advertisement omitted any reference to Biafra—the former independent nation of 14 million predominantly Igbo people that lost sovereignty to Nigeria in a civil war in 1970. Today, approximately 50 million Igbo people live in Nigeria, nearly all Christian and comprising 20-25% of Nigeria’s population.
The absence of Biafra from the advertisement follows the Nigerian government’s imprisonment of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of IPOB, while Simon Ekpa, Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), remains detained in Finland under charges related to supporting terrorism by sharing evidence of ongoing threats posed by violent Islamic jihadists.
Reports indicate that Ohanaeze Ndigbo, an Igbo socio-cultural organization, collaborated with Southeast Nigeria political leaders to announce a $500,000 bounty for information leading to Simon Ekpa’s capture. A similar bounty preceded the arrest of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In June 2021, Kanu was apprehended at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya’s High Court later ruled that his detention constituted an unlawful extraordinary rendition carried out with the knowledge and complicity of the Nigerian government. In November 2025, Kanu received a life sentence from a Finnish court.
The people of the former Biafra Republic, like citizens of Louisiana, Texas, and other Confederate States, have not forfeited their right to self-determination after losing a civil war. Texans continue to identify as Texans, and Louisiana residents proudly uphold their unique status under the Napoleonic Code.
The principle of “self-determination of peoples” is enshrined in Article 1 of the United Nations Charter and serves as a guiding principle for maintaining international peace and security. The United States recognizes the indigenous populations’ right to self-determination and self-defense against genocide.
