Indigenous People of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has begun serving his life jail sentence at the Sokoto Custodial Centre.
His legal consultant, Aloy Ejimakor, said yesterday that Kanu—who was convicted on all seven terrorism charges on Thursday—had been transferred from the Department of State Services facility in Abuja, where he had been held since his extradition from Kenya in June 2021.
Ejimakor said he went to the DSS facility to see Kanu but was informed that the IPOB leader had already been moved to Sokoto.
“MAZI NNAMDI KANU has just been moved from DSS Abuja to the custodial facility (prison) in Sokoto; so far away from his lawyers, family, loved ones and well wishers,” he said on X.
He appealed for calm but questioned the decision to relocate Kanu to Sokoto, noting that “when Awolowo was convicted in 1963, he was sent to the East, a neutral zone in his feud with the North.”
In sentencing Kanu, Justice Kolawole Omotosho stated that the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja would not be suitable for him due to the potential danger to his life, considering the number of killings linked to his directives.
Security remained heightened across parts of the South East yesterday as reactions continued to trail Thursday’s judgment.
IPOB reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful agitation despite Kanu’s conviction.
It faulted the judgment, claiming no weapons or “no attack plan” were ever found on Kanu.
Besides, it insisted he had not committed any offence under Nigerian or international law.
“We reaffirm our commitment to peaceful advocacy, international law and the pursuit of a United Nations-supervised referendum,” IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, said in a statement.
The Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) also condemned the ruling, saying it amounted to sentencing the entire Igboland.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, urged calm in response to the judgment.
The minister, who recently returned from a foreign trip, described the conviction as sad news.
“This is not the outcome we anticipated, nor prayed for, but a reality that is now upon us,” she said on X.
Continuing, she said: “There comes a time in the history of a people when there is need for calm.
“I therefore advise Ndigbo, and Nigerians as a whole, that such a period is now! There is utmost need to exercise restraint in response to this situation.
“All actions which could be deemed incendiary, and which might escalate the situation at home or in the diaspora should be curtailed. A word is enough for the wise.
“This situation requires careful reflection and constructive dialogue involving all Igbo stakeholders, Governors, senators, Members of the House of Representatives, clergy, traditional rulers, politicians and business people to engage with government authorities collectively. Beating the drums of fury and sabre rattling will only generate diminishing returns, and in the worst case scenario, yet another wasteland.
“The most effective path toward resolution of this crisis is dialogue. The quest for mutual coexistence of Ndigbo in Nigeria with justice, equity and dignity is a commitment which requires our collective resolve, and maintaining peace and order is essential to ensuring the security of all citizens, regardless of tribe or creed.
“I would like to reassure Ndigbo, Nigerians and our foreign partners that there are still prospects of resolving this impasse in a manner that reduces national anxiety and societal trauma. I oblige everyone to remain calm and patient. Over the years I have continued to engage on these issues with several stakeholders. Now is the time for us all in Ala Igbo to put all hands on deck, and to have a joint engagement, sincerely, involving all the South Eastern States, to seek a political resolution to this matter.”
Igbo Youth Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly described the life sentence as a welcome development.
Leader of the Assembly, Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, said it would open the door for further developments.
He lamented that Kanu’s prolonged detention without trial had subjected people of the Southeast to psychological trauma and reinforced feelings of marginalization.
“The judgement passed on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a welcome development. The judiciary, has after a long time, finally heeded to the yearning of our people.
“No matter how that judgement looks, there is room for appeal. Also, justice has been served,” he said.
Okpalaezeukwu added that the ruling now provides President Bola Tinubu with an opportunity to consider granting Kanu a pardon.
A former National Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Demian Okeke-Ogene, dismissed the judgement as unacceptable.
Ogene appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene urgently to prevent unnecessary tension in the Southeast.
“We want Nnamdi Kanu to be released unconditionally for the sake of peace, unity, togetherness, equity equality fairness and justice,” he said.
Aba-based lawyer Gabriel Emperor Ogbonna said: “If Kanu had defended himself, maybe, we could juxtapose his defence together with the allegations against him, then arrive at a conclusion that is fair enough.
“But today, because he didn’t defend himself, it is the prosecution facts that we are dealing with and the prosecution facts are incontrovertible. So, you now see the reason there is no way anybody can fault the judgment of Justice Omotosho.
“There is a window of getting a pardon. Pardon is a political act. If the President decides to pardon him, he has to contend with other people in the country who feel that Nnamdi Kanu ought to be in prison: the people in Orsu, Ozubulu, Agulu, Orlu, Okigwe and Arondizuogu and other parts of Igbo land where the Eastern Security Network, ESN (the security arm of IPOB) had their camps or killed their loved ones.
“The President can grant him pardon, but he has to contend with all the people who were also victims of the activities of these proscribed groups.“
“You have to also consider the fact that, if you say that you want to pardon somebody, there must be a reason for the pardon. Before Nnamdi Kanu will be pardoned, there must be discussions on the terms and condition of the pardon. The government and Nnamdi Kanu and his team will look at the terms and conditions. There are a lot of issues that must be look at to be able to agree whether they are going to pardon or not. But to me, I am of the opinion that a political solution will be the best thing to do.”
Imo State Police Commissioner, Aboki Danjuma, warned that the command would not tolerate any breakdown of law and order in response to the ruling.
“We will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anyone found engaging in activities capable of disrupting public peace,” CP Danjuma said.
According to him, the police have intensified visibility patrols, launched intelligence-led raids on suspected criminal hideouts, and deployed a show of force across the state to deter violence.
A former counsel to Kanu, Vincent Obetta, urged President Bola Tinubu to pursue a political settlement “in the interest of justice and national peace.”
Speaking in Enugu, Obetta said the continued detention of the IPOB leader—despite multiple court orders—remains a grave violation of both the Constitution and international law.
