Heavy Security In Sokoto Custodial Centre After Nnamdi Kanu’s Transfer

Security has been significantly tightened at the Sokoto Custodial Centre following the transfer of the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to the facility.

Naija News recalls that Kanu was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja after Justice James Omotosho found him guilty on all seven counts of terrorism and related offences.

While delivering judgment, Justice Omotosho ruled that Kanu must be kept in a “protected custodial centre” and declared the Kuje Correctional Centre unsuitable due to previous prison breaks and heightened security risks.

On Friday, Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, said his client had been moved to Sokoto, a development he described as worrying.

Speaking with Saturday Punch, he said the relocation places the IPOB leader far from his legal team, relatives, and supporters.

He urged Ndigbo to remain calm, adding that legal steps were being taken to challenge the transfer.

Though officials at the Sokoto Custodial Centre refused to confirm whether Kanu had arrived, Saturday Punch observed heightened security around the facility on Friday.

Armed personnel were stationed at strategic points within and outside the centre, while eyewitnesses reported an unusual influx of military presence.

A resident, who asked not to be named, said, “We saw soldiers entering in trucks this evening. The security here has never been this tight.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service, Jane Osuji, confirmed that Nnamdi Kanu was indeed in the Service’s custody but declined to reveal his exact location.