Kanu moved to Sokoto Prison in overnight operation - Lawyer raises alarm

By Johnson Arua

Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has reportedly been transferred from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja to a correctional facility in Sokoto State, in what his lawyers describe as a covert nighttime operation carried out without prior notice to his family or legal team.

The development comes less than 24 hours after Kanu was handed a life sentence by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, November 20, after being found guilty on seven terrorism-related charges.

His lead counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, confirmed the transfer in a statement on Friday, November 21. According to him, members of Kanu’s legal team arrived at the DSS headquarters in Abuja for a scheduled visit but were informed that the IPOB leader had already been moved to “a secure and protected location” at the Sokoto State Correctional Facility.

“Breaking: MAZI NNAMDI KANU has just been moved from DSS Abuja to the correctional facility (prison) in Sokoto; so far away from his lawyers, family, loved ones and well-wishers,” Ejimakor wrote.

The lawyer questioned the rationale behind the transfer and called for President Bola Tinubu’s intervention.

“While urging #Ndigbo to remain calm, I must question the wisdom of sending MNK to Sokoto prison. When Obafemi Awolowo was convicted in 1963, he was sent to the East, a neutral zone in his feud with the North. Pres. Tinubu can still halt this drift,” he stated.

As of press time, there has been no official confirmation from the DSS, the Nigerian Correctional Service, or any other relevant authority.

Kanu, who holds both Nigerian and British citizenship, was convicted for allegedly issuing broadcasts and directives that prosecutors said incited violent attacks on security personnel and civilians. The prosecution had sought the death penalty, insisting that the evidence presented was overwhelming.