The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared that its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is now a global symbol of injustice and no longer just a Nigerian matter. The group made the statement in reaction to a motion moved by US Congressman John James (R-Michigan) on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday, demanding Kanu's immediate release.

James, addressing colleagues, described Nigeria as the deadliest place on earth to be a Christian and linked Kanu's continued detention to a broader pattern of religiously motivated violence he says the Nigerian government has ignored or enabled since 2019. He called on Nigeria to either grant Kanu a fresh trial — conducted in line with its own constitution, based on evidence, with legal counsel, medical care, and humane detention conditions — or release him immediately and unconditionally. He also warned that continued US financial support to Nigeria should not go toward what he called funding "Christian genocide."

James's floor remarks referenced H.Res. 1321, a resolution he introduced on May 22, 2026, which the House had already adopted, calling on the US Secretary of State to engage Nigeria on Kanu's trial and detention. That resolution remains before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful, reacting Friday, thanked James and the US Congress, saying Kanu's case is now before the world. He claimed Kanu and the late Nelson Mandela are the only two figures whose cases have been debated on the floor of the US Congress, calling it proof of the group's resolve to pursue a referendum on Biafra's future. Kanu himself also reacted, thanking James and invoking the Mandela comparison, saying "history beckons."

Kanu was convicted on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to life imprisonment on November 20, 2025.