Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been transferred from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja to a correctional facility in Sokoto State, his lawyer has confirmed.
Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s legal counsel, announced the development via social media platform 𝕏 on Friday, expressing concern that the convicted agitator has been moved far from his lawyers, family, and supporters.
“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 wellwishers,” Ejimakor wrote.
The transfer comes just one day after Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja found Kanu guilty of terrorism charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment on Thursday.
The distance between Abuja and Sokoto—located in Nigeria’s far northwest—has raised concerns among Kanu’s legal team and supporters about accessibility for family visits and legal consultations. Sokoto State is approximately 700 kilometers from Abuja and represents one of the most distant relocations possible within Nigeria’s correctional system.
The timing and location of the transfer have sparked immediate reactions, with many viewing the move as potentially limiting Kanu’s access to his defense team as they prepare appeals against Thursday’s conviction.
Kanu had been held in DSS custody in Abuja since his controversial repatriation to Nigeria in June 2021 from Kenya, where he was arrested after jumping bail in 2017.
The IPOB leader’s conviction and subsequent transfer to Sokoto prison mark a significant development in one of Nigeria’s most high-profile separatist cases, with implications for the ongoing agitation in the South-East region.
Further details are expected to emerge as Kanu’s legal team responds to the transfer and continues to pursue legal remedies against the life sentence.
