A coalition of diaspora groups led by the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) has petitioned U.S. President Donald Trump to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on top Nigerian judges and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami for their alleged role in the prolonged detention of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The petition, released Friday in Abuja, accuses the Nigerian judiciary of aiding “gross violations of human rights” through rulings that upheld Kanu’s extraordinary rendition from Kenya in 2021 and his continued detention.
Among those listed are Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, former Chief Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, and Malami. The groups said they enabled arbitrary detention, sham trials, and suppression of free speech.
AVID argued that “judges enjoy no immunity for human rights abuses,” likening the Nigerian officials’ actions to those of Nazi-era and Russian judges who faced sanctions for persecuting dissidents.
The petition recalled a July 2022 UN Working Group decision that declared Kanu’s detention unlawful and ordered his release. It also cited a ₦500 million award by a Federal High Court in Umuahia and a Kenyan court ruling in June 2025 that found his rendition illegal. None of these decisions have been enforced.
“For over three years, Nigeria has openly defied international law, keeping Kanu in solitary confinement without trial,” said Chief Ugochukwu Nwosu of Rising Sun Charities. “This is a stain on Nigeria’s judiciary.”
The petition urged the U.S. to act, warning that failure to sanction officials “emboldens dictators.”
“This is not just about Kanu,” the groups added. “It is about ensuring no judge, no official, and no government can trample on fundamental freedoms without consequence.”