Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has begun serving his life sentence at the Sokoto Custodial Centre.
According to his legal consultant, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu, who was convicted on all seven counts of terrorism last Thursday, was moved from the custody of the Department of State Services in Abuja, where he had been held since his extradition from Kenya in June 2021.
Ejimakor disclosed that he visited the DSS to see Kanu but was informed that he had been transferred to Sokoto.
“MAZI NNAMDI KANU has just been moved from DSS Abuja to the custodial facility (prison) in Sokoto; so far away from his lawyers, family, loved ones and well wishers,” Ejimakor said on X. He called for calm while questioning the decision to send Kanu to Sokoto, noting, “when Awolowo was convicted in 1963, he was sent to the East, a neutral zone in his feud with the North.”
A DSS source confirmed Kanu’s relocation.
During sentencing, Justice Kolawole Omotosho explained that Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja would not be appropriate due to potential threats to Kanu’s life, considering the number of killings linked to his directives.
Security remained tight in parts of the South East on Friday as reactions to the judgement continued.
IPOB reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful self-determination despite Kanu’s conviction, criticizing the ruling by claiming no weapons or attack plans were ever found on him.
“We reaffirm our commitment to peaceful advocacy, international law and the pursuit of a United Nations-supervised referendum,” IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, stated.
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra also condemned the ruling, describing it as a sentence on the entire Igboland.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who recently returned from a foreign trip, called for calm, describing the verdict as unfortunate.
“This is not the outcome we anticipated, nor prayed for, but a reality that is now upon us,” she wrote on X. She urged patience and restraint, emphasizing the need for dialogue.
“There comes a time in the history of a people when there is need for calm. I therefore advise Ndigbo, and Nigerians as a whole, that such a period is now! There is utmost need to exercise restraint in response to this situation. All actions which could be deemed incendiary, and which might escalate the situation at home or in the diaspora should be curtailed. A word is enough for the wise.
“This situation requires careful reflection and constructive dialogue involving all Igbo stakeholders, Governors, senators, Members of the House of Representatives, clergy, traditional rulers, politicians and business people to engage with government authorities collectively. Beating the drums of fury and sabre rattling will only generate diminishing returns, and in the worst case scenario, yet another wasteland.
“The most effective path toward resolution of this crisis is dialogue. The quest for mutual coexistence of Ndigbo in Nigeria with justice, equity and dignity is a commitment which requires our collective resolve, and maintaining peace and order is essential to ensuring the security of all citizens, regardless of tribe or creed.
“I would like to reassure Ndigbo, Nigerians and our foreign partners that there are still prospects of resolving this impasse in a manner that reduces national anxiety and societal trauma. I oblige everyone to remain calm and patient. Over the years I have continued to engage on these issues with several stakeholders. Now is the time for us all in Ala Igbo to put all hands on deck, and to have a joint engagement, sincerely, involving all the South Eastern States, to seek a political resolution to this matter.”
The Igbo Youth Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly welcomed the life imprisonment sentence, describing it as an opportunity for further developments.
Leader of the Assembly, Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, said, “The judgement passed on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a welcome development. The judiciary, has after a long time, finally heeded to the yearning of our people. No matter how that judgement looks, there is room for appeal. Also, justice has been served.”
Okpalaezeukwu also noted that the ruling provides President Bola Tinubu an avenue to consider granting Kanu a pardon.
Former National Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Demian Okeke-Ogene, labeled the judgement unacceptable and appealed to President Tinubu to intervene urgently to prevent tension in the Southeast.
“We want Nnamdi Kanu to be released unconditionally for the sake of peace, unity, togetherness, equity equality fairness and justice,” he said.
Aba-based lawyer Gabriel Emperor Ogbonna highlighted the role Kanu’s non-defense played in the outcome, noting, “If Kanu had defended himself, maybe, we could juxtapose his defence together with the allegations against him, then arrive at a conclusion that is fair enough. But today, because he didn’t defend himself, it is the prosecution facts that we are dealing with and the prosecution facts are incontrovertible. So, you now see the reason there is no way anybody can fault the judgment of Justice Omotosho.
“There is a window of getting a pardon. Pardon is a political act. If the President decides to pardon him, he has to contend with other people in the country who feel that Nnamdi Kanu ought to be in prison: the people in Orsu, Ozubulu, Agulu, Orlu, Okigwe and Arondizuogu and other parts of Igbo land where the Eastern Security Network, ESN (the security arm of IPOB) had their camps or killed their loved ones.
“You have to also consider the fact that, if you say that you want to pardon somebody, there must be a reason for the pardon. Before Nnamdi Kanu will be pardoned, there must be discussions on the terms and condition of the pardon. The government and Nnamdi Kanu and his team will look at the terms and conditions. There are a lot of issues that must be look at to be able to agree whether they are going to pardon or not. But to me, I am of the opinion that a political solution will be the best thing to do.”
Imo State Police Commissioner Aboki Danjuma warned that law and order would be strictly maintained. “We will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anyone found engaging in activities capable of disrupting public peace,” he said.
The command has intensified patrols, conducted intelligence-led raids, and deployed forces across the state to prevent disturbances.
Former Kanu counsel, Vincent Obetta, urged President Tinubu to adopt a political resolution, saying that the IPOB leader’s continued detention despite several court orders constitutes a grave violation of the Constitution and international law.
