Human-rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has been secretly moved from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) to a correctional facility in Sokoto State.
New Daily Prime reported that Kanu, who has been held by the DSS since 2021, was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of several terrorism-related charges by a Federal High Court.
Reacting to the development, Sowore said in a statement on his Facebook page that the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had quietly transferred the separatist leader hours after the court verdict. According to him, the decision was deliberate and intended to keep Kanu “isolated and vulnerable”.
“The Tinubu regime has secretly transferred Nnamdi Kanu to Sokoto Prison,” Sowore wrote, insisting that the transfer was part of a broader plan that had been in motion since Wednesday.
He alleged that government officials argued that taking Kanu to Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja would turn the facility into “a place of pilgrimage” because of the level of support he enjoys among Igbo residents and sympathisers.
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“They openly said he would ‘become a king’ if taken to Kuje correctional centre in Abuja, because according to them, ‘Igbo people’ and his supporters would turn Kuje into a place of pilgrimage,” he said.
Sowore further claimed that political actors, particularly from Kanu’s region, were among those working against his release. He accused them of fearing Kanu’s influence and seeking to ensure that he remains silenced.
“It is also why they activated their cronies to start selling the illusion of ‘renewed hope’ for MNK, a psychological tactic to keep the public calm while they execute their darkest agenda. Their plan is simple: to keep your hopes alive just long enough for him to die in custody,” he alleged.
Sowore insisted that the Federal Government has no intention of releasing Kanu, “not even for political calculations or electoral convenience,” and criticised regional leaders whom he described as Kanu’s “greatest enemies”.
As of the time of this report, there has been no official confirmation from the DSS, the Nigerian Correctional Service, or the Federal Government regarding the alleged transfer.
