The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has suffered a legal setback in his effort to secure a transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Facility. The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, struck out his application seeking relocation to a prison near the nation’s capital to facilitate his appeal process.
Justice James Omotosho, delivering the ruling, declared the application incompetent, effectively ending Kanu’s immediate hopes of moving closer to Abuja.
Kanu, who was sentenced to life imprisonment on November 20, 2025, on terrorism charges, had argued in a personally signed motion that his detention over 700 kilometres away in Sokoto crippled his ability to effectively appeal his conviction.
He contended that the distance prevented necessary interface with court registries in Abuja and access to his relatives, associates, and legal consultants based there, thereby violating his constitutional right to appeal.
The case took a dramatic turn during the hearing when the lawyer representing Kanu from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACoN), Demdoo Asan, applied to withdraw from the matter. Asan cited “irreconcilable differences” with the applicant, accusing Kanu of attempting to dictate legal strategy.
“My lord, the applicant wants to dictate the tune of the matter. He wants to write what I will say while in court. However, I cannot do that as an officer of the court,” Asan stated.
He further revealed that despite repeated efforts, none of Kanu’s relatives had come forward to depose to a supporting affidavit for the transfer request since December.
Following the lawyer’s withdrawal, Justice Omotosho proceeded to strike out the motion. He noted that the suit had initially been incompetent but was allowed to proceed in the interest of justice, a latitude which ultimately did not yield a favourable outcome for the IPOB leader.
Kanu’s conviction and life sentence followed a seven-count terrorism charge brought by the Federal Government. The court had specified he could be held in any correctional facility in the country except the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja. He was subsequently transferred to Sokoto on November 21, 2025.
With this ruling, Kanu remains in detention in Sokoto as he seeks alternative means to pursue his appeal against the life sentence.
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