The Department of State Services (DSS) has transferred the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to a correctional facility in Sokoto State, following his sentencing for terrorism.
Naija News reports that Kanu was moved on Friday in compliance with the ruling delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The relocation followed his conviction and sentencing on a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism.
Reacting to the development, Kanu’s special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, condemned the transfer, insisting that the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction over the case.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Monday, Ejimakor argued that the proper division remained the Abuja Court of Appeal.
Ejimakor said, “Placing him in Sokoto is not the judge’s fault. Once someone is sentenced, it becomes the responsibility of the executive branch, particularly the Correctional Service. That decision perhaps did not consider these concerns. It is very insensitive to his rights. Prisoners still have rights.”
The lawyer expressed concern that Kanu’s transfer to Sokoto would hinder his ability to file and prosecute an appeal.
He said, “Can Nnamdi Kanu effectively prosecute his appeal or even initiate it from that location in Sokoto? The answer is no. What may play out in the coming days or weeks is an attempt to ameliorate the detention conditions.”
According to him, keeping Kanu in Abuja would have ensured proximity to his relatives and legal team.
Ejimakor added that initiating the appeal required Kanu to file a notice of appeal, request and pay for transcripts, and review documents, tasks requiring his direct involvement unless he chose to hire a lawyer.
“Up to this point, he has not indicated that he is going to hire any lawyer or inform anybody,” he noted.
Ejimakor said the prolonged prosecution and the latest transfer showed the system’s determination to suppress Kanu.
He described the move as evidence of “the desperation of the system towards him.”
Court Sentences Kanu To Life Imprisonment
On Thursday, Justice Omotosho convicted Kanu and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The court ruled that Kanu used broadcasts to incite attacks on security agencies, destroy infrastructure, and threaten diplomatic missions.
Justice Omotosho held that Nigeria remained an indivisible state and declared that self-determination could not be pursued through violence. He ordered the forfeiture of Kanu’s transmitter and directed his detention in a secure facility without digital access.
Kanu’s legal team has vowed to challenge the verdict, describing the sentence as excessive.
Ejimakor confirmed the relocation to Sokoto in a post on his 𝕏 handle, criticising the move for placing Kanu far away from his legal counsel, relatives, and supporters.
Kanu was first arrested in 2015 on charges of terrorism and treasonable felony. He fled Nigeria in 2017 after a military raid on his home, was re-arrested in Kenya in 2021, and returned to Nigeria under disputed circumstances.
