IPOB Stages ‘Trump Solidarity Rallies’ in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Renews Demand for Nnamdi Kanu’s Unconditional Release

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, held simultaneous “Trump Solidarity Rallies” and peaceful marches in Abia, Anambra, and Ebonyi states in the South-East geopolitical zone.

Hundreds of youths, women, and elders participated in the demonstrations, which the group said were held in solidarity with U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration anniversary and, more importantly, to remember Biafran agitators killed exactly nine years earlier during a similar pro-Trump rally.

According to a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Directorate signed by its spokesman, the rallies took place peacefully across strategic locations in the three states. Participants carried placards, banners, and photographs of detained IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu while chanting slogans demanding his immediate and unconditional release.

“Youths, women, and elders came out in large numbers to peacefully demonstrate in solidarity and in remembrance of our people who were brutally killed exactly nine years ago during the first inauguration of President Donald Trump, when Nigerian soldiers—acting under the directives of the then ruling APC-led government—opened fire on unarmed Biafran demonstrators,” the statement said.

Background to the 2017 Incident

The rallies commemorated the January 20, 2017, pro-Trump solidarity march in Port Harcourt (Igweocha), Rivers State. IPOB supporters had gathered to celebrate Trump’s inauguration, viewing his campaign rhetoric on self-determination favourably amid their push for Biafran independence. Clashes erupted with security forces, leading to allegations of excessive force.

IPOB claimed several members (reports varied between 11 and scores) were killed when soldiers and police opened fire or used tear gas on unarmed protesters. Nigerian police at the time maintained they only deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd and denied fatalities from gunfire, though injuries were acknowledged. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, had previously documented lethal force against pro-Biafra demonstrators in the region around that period.

Renewed Calls for Kanu’s Release and Accountability

Protesters renewed calls for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in detention since his 2021 rendition from Kenya. In late 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted him on terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment—a verdict IPOB and his legal team have described as politically motivated and illegal. Kanu’s case has seen multiple court adjournments, with a fresh hearing reportedly scheduled for January 27, 2026.

Participants also demanded an independent inquiry into the 2017 Port Harcourt killings and the broader insecurity plaguing the South-East, including sit-at-home enforcement, unknown gunmen attacks, and alleged extrajudicial actions.

“Truth, accountability and justice are indispensable to peace,” the IPOB statement stressed.

The group insisted its activities remain “peaceful and lawful,” urging security agencies to respect citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly. It further appealed to the international community, including human rights organisations, to intervene in what it described as the deteriorating human rights situation and “relentless pogrom” in Biafraland (South-East Nigeria).

No Immediate Official Reaction

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the police, military, or state governments in Abia, Anambra, or Ebonyi regarding the rallies. IPOB has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government since 2017, a designation the group rejects, insisting it advocates non-violent self-determination.

The rallies come amid heightened tensions in the region and renewed global scrutiny of alleged persecution of Christians and minorities in Nigeria, issues that reportedly influenced recent U.S. policy considerations under President Trump’s second term.

IPOB maintained that despite intimidation and insecurity, Biafrans remain resolute: “A people determined to be free cannot be permanently subdued.”