Abuja, 21 November 2025 – Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been moved from the Department of State Services (DSS) detention facility in Abuja to a correctional centre in Sokoto State, according to his legal team and human rights activist Omoyele Sowore.
The transfer comes just one day after Kanu, 58, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on multiple counts of terrorism-related charges. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty, but the judge opted for life imprisonment, citing a need to “temper justice with mercy” despite describing Kanu’s conduct as arrogant and unremorseful.
Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s special counsel, announced the development on social media, stating: “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 well-wishers.” The move places Kanu over 700 kilometres from his base in south-eastern Nigeria, potentially complicating access for legal consultations and family visits.
Omoyele Sowore, a prominent activist and former presidential candidate, went further in his allegations, claiming the transfer was deliberate and secretive. In a Facebook post, Sowore wrote: “The Tinubu Regime Has Secretly Transferred Nnamdi Kanu to Sokoto Prison. Yes, they have already planned it. Their intention since yesterday was to move Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to a notorious prison based in the northern parts, where his safety cannot be guaranteed. I can confirm now that he’s already in Sokoto prison.”
Sowore suggested the decision stemmed from fears that placing Kanu in Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja would turn it into a “place of pilgrimage” for his Igbo supporters, who might treat him as a “king”. He accused the government of isolating Kanu to make him “vulnerable” and claimed there was no intention of releasing him, even for political reasons. Sowore also alleged that politicians from Kanu’s own south-eastern region were his “greatest enemies”, fearing his influence and seeking to silence him permanently.
During Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Justice Omotosho explicitly stated that Kanu was unsuitable for Kuje prison due to his “violent attitude” throughout the trial and ordered protective custody elsewhere in Nigeria.
