In line with the judgement of a Federal High Court in Abuja, the Department of State Services (DSS) has moved the convicted leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to the Nigerian Custodial Centre in Sokoto.
A source within the service said his movement followed his conviction and sentencing for terrorism.
Delivering judgement on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court in Abuja had said the secret police should move Kanu to any correctional facility within the country apart from Kuje in Abuja
Justice Omotosho had convicted and sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on a seven-count charge of terrorism.
The judge upheld the allegations of the DSS that Kanu employed terrorism in his agitation, calling for the secession of South-Eastern, South South states, and some parts of Benue and Kogi from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Kanu’s former lawyer and consultant, Aloy Ejimakor, also confirmed Kanu’s movement to Sokoto in a statement on his X handle on Friday.
Ejimakor expressed concern over the move, noting that the relocation places Kanu far from his legal team, family, and supporters.
“While urging #Ndigbo to remain calm, I must question the wisdom of sending #MNK to Sokoto prison.
“When 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, as I said in this video,” he said.
Kanu was first arrested in 2015 by Nigerian authorities and faced charges of treasonable felony, terrorism, and other related offences over his leadership of IPOB, a proscribed separatist group.
After fleeing the country, he was extradited from Kenya in 2021.
