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The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has been awarded Honorary Citizenship of the State of Georgia in the United States, a recognition that also designates him as an Outstanding Citizen and a Goodwill Ambassador of the American state.
The honour was formalised through an official proclamation issued by Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, acting on behalf of the Republican-controlled state government. The proclamation, dated January 16, 2026, was publicly presented on Friday, January 23, 2026, in Milledgeville, one of Georgia’s capital cities.
The document was handed over by State Representative Gab Okoye, while the certificate of honorary citizenship was received on Kanu’s behalf by a former Nigerian diplomat, Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, who previously served as Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa.
Speaking at the presentation, Ajulu-Okeke described Kanu as “Africa’s most famous political prisoner” and a global prisoner of conscience, a characterisation that reflects how the IPoB leader is viewed by sections of the international community and his supporters.
According to the proclamation, Raffensperger formally declared Kanu an Honorary Citizen of Georgia and called for him to be accorded full courtesies befitting a Goodwill Ambassador of the state, whether travelling within the United States or beyond its borders. The document expressed appreciation for what it described as Kanu’s service, concluding with the official seal of the Secretary of State’s office and the date of issuance in Atlanta.
The recognition comes at a time when Kanu remains incarcerated in Nigeria, currently serving a life sentence at the Sokoto Correctional Centre. He was convicted by Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court in Abuja after being tried on charges bordering on treasonable offences.
Kanu has consistently rejected the verdict, maintaining that he did not violate any known law. He has repeatedly challenged both the prosecution and the court to identify the specific legislation under which he was convicted. His legal team and supporters insist that the charges were based on what they describe as a non-existent law.
Read also: Christmas: Igbo Community Visits Nnamdi Kanu, Feeds Sokoto Prison
Following the judgment, the IPoB leader vowed to pursue redress at the Court of Appeal, arguing that his trial and conviction were fundamentally flawed. The group has also continued to raise concerns about his continued detention, framing it as politically motivated and legally questionable.
Kanu’s incarceration dates back to 2021, when he was arrested in Kenya and subsequently returned to Nigeria through what his supporters describe as an extraordinary rendition. The operation took place during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and has remained a major point of contention in both domestic and international discourse surrounding his case.
Despite his imprisonment, the latest recognition from the State of Georgia underscores Kanu’s sustained visibility beyond Nigeria’s borders and highlights the contrast between his legal status at home and the symbolic honour accorded to him abroad.
