Nnamdi Kanu Moves To Be Transferred From Sokoto Prison To Pursue Appeal

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed a new application at the Federal High Court in Abuja requesting a transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

Kanu, who was recently sentenced to life imprisonment on terrorism charges, submitted the motion ex parte, which he personally signed. The application was formally presented to the court on Thursday by his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu.

In the motion, Kanu argued that his current detention in Sokoto, over 700 kilometres from Abuja, would hinder his ability to personally pursue his constitutional right to appeal the conviction. He stated that preparing the notice and record of appeal requires his presence at the registry of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Kanu further explained that all individuals essential to assisting him with his appeal, including family members, associates, and legal consultants, are based in Abuja. He stressed that remaining in Sokoto would make it practically impossible to coordinate with them, creating exceptional hardship and potentially undermining his right to appeal.

The IPOB leader maintained that continued detention far from the capital amounts to a violation of Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantees the right to a fair hearing.