Nnamdi Kanu won’t leave Sokoto prison without court order — Family

The family of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has said he will not accept any transfer from the Sokoto Custodial Centre unless it is ordered by the Court of Appeal.

The position was contained in a statement issued on Friday by Prince Emmanuel Kanu on behalf of the Okwu-Kanu Family of Umuahia, Abia State.

According to the family, Kanu’s incarceration at the Sokoto Custodial Centre is one of the key issues being challenged in his appeal against his conviction and life sentence.

The family explained that recent calls by some supporters urging the IPOB leader to accept relocation to Abuja outside the judicial process could jeopardise the pending appeal and should therefore be avoided.

It stressed that Kanu, who is representing himself before the Court of Appeal, has carefully prepared his legal arguments and would not take any step capable of weakening his case.

The statement noted that Kanu’s legal team considers the decision to send him to the Sokoto Custodial Centre a substantive ground of appeal, arguing that it raises questions about judicial bias and fair hearing.

According to the family, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on November 20, 2025, and ordered that he serve the sentence at the Sokoto Custodial Centre after making findings the defence believes demonstrated bias.

The family maintained that the legality of that decision is now before the Court of Appeal and should be determined through the judicial process.

It argued that voluntarily accepting a transfer from Sokoto before the appeal is decided could be interpreted as abandoning one of the grounds of appeal, thereby weakening Kanu’s legal challenge.

“The matter is sub judice. It must be decided by the Court of Appeal, which is the proper forum to determine whether the Sokoto sentencing was lawful, whether it constituted bias and whether it should be set aside,” the statement said.

The family further disclosed that Kanu had previously filed an application before the Federal High Court seeking relocation from the Sokoto facility, but the application was never determined on its merits before it was eventually struck out.

It also revealed that British consular officials had explored the possibility of facilitating his transfer to Abuja, but Kanu declined the proposal, insisting that only the Court of Appeal should determine the matter.

Reaffirming its position, the family said any change to Kanu’s place of detention must come through a lawful court order rather than executive or diplomatic intervention.

It therefore urged supporters and well-wishers to refrain from actions or campaigns that could undermine the legal strategy adopted by Kanu and his legal team, insisting that the appeal remains the appropriate avenue for resolving the matter.