Does US Honorary Citizenship Give Trump’s Country Legal Power Over Nnamdi Kanu’s Case? Fact Emerges
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Georgia, USA - On Friday, January 23, 2026, Nnamdi Kanu, detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was awarded honorary citizenship by the United States (US) state of Georgia.
Legit.ng reports that in the US, honorary citizenship is a rare and highly ceremonial distinction reserved for non-US citizens who have demonstrated extraordinary merit, service, or global impact.
Source: Twitter
It is intended purely as a gesture of respect and admiration, acknowledging outstanding contributions to humanity or international relations.
Recall that on November 20, 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment. Kanu was found guilty on seven counts of terrorism, treason, and inciting violence.
The court convicted Kanu, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK), over his violent campaigns for the independence of Nigeria’s South-east and neighbouring states of the region, as Biafra.
Handing down the sentence, Omotosho ordered that Kanu should be held in any secure prison in any part of the country, but not Abuja, which has a history of a recent jailbreak.
This prompted the prison authorities to keep him in the Sokoto correctional facility.
Per Vanguard, the proclamation for Kanu, signed by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, names him an “Honorary Georgia Citizen” and a Goodwill Ambassador for the state.
The document was presented at a ceremony in Milledgeville, Georgia, and was received by former Nigerian Consul General to South Africa, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, on Kanu’s behalf.
Following this announcement, some X (formerly Twitter) users made claims suggesting that this honorary citizenship has legal implications for Kanu’s imprisonment in Nigeria.
A user @iw42445 referred to international incidents, claiming that Nigeria cannot match the US. He wrote, “If Americans can come for Nicolas Maduro, who is Nigeria to hold America if they come for Kanu.”
Another user @kenny-kenzeen argued that “The US Government is rubbing it on Nigeria…….Killing him translates to killing an American citizen, and that’ll earn Big a lot.”
An X user @engrICO2015 wrote:
“The implication is this: Nigeria automatically is holding a US citizen wrongly, and this offers the USA legal legitimacy to ask questions about his case!! You see this issue…..hmmmm.”
The terrorism trial of Kanu spanned over a decade with repeated court appearances, adjournments and legal challenges.
In the recent motion struck out by the court, Kanu had unsuccessfully sought to be transferred from Sokoto to the Abuja facility.
Honorary citizenship does not establish the legal ties required for state protection or intervention.
Regardless of the honour bestowed, the individual remains subject to the laws and judicial processes of their country of nationality.
The claim that Nnamdi Kanu’s honorary citizenship makes him a US citizen and gives the United States legal grounds to intervene in his imprisonment in Nigeria is false.
Source: Legit.ng
