Sowore claims Nnamdi Kanu has been moved to Sokoto Prison to leave him vulnerable

HUMAN rights activist Omoyele Sowore has accused the Nigerian authorities of secretly moving the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) leader Nnamdi Kanu to Sokoto Prison following his recent sentencing in a bid to isolate him from his supporters.

Highly controversial, Mr Kanu, the leader of the separatist group Ipob, has been campaigning for the recreation of the independent republic of Biafra which broke away from Nigeria between July 1967 and January 1970 during the civil war. His campaign, which has led to the phenomenal growth of Ipob, has set him at odds with the Nigerian government who him arrested and put on trial for treason.

While the case was still pending, Mr Kanu was granted bail in April 2017 on health grounds but skipped his bail after flouting the conditions given to him by the court and fled Nigeria. In a dramatic development, in June 2021, Mr Kanu was abducted in Kenya and flown to Nigeria, where he has since been arrayed in court in Abuja, with fresh charges added to the pending ones.

Yesterday, the case finally closed with Justice Omotosho finding Mr Kanu guilty on all seven counts of terrorism filed against him by the Nigerian government. Delivering his judgment, the judge described Mr Kanu as a terrorist whose actions have led to bloodshed and destabilisation across the southeast geo-political zone.

Mr Sowore, who launched a #FreeNnamdiKanuNOW protest earlier this year to get Mr Kanu released, said the Ipob leader was surreptitiously moved to a state where he is far away from his supporters and fellow activists. Writing on his Facebook page, Mr Sowore alleged that Mr Kanu was secretly moved from the Department of State Security custody to Sokoto Prison.

He added: “Their intention since yesterday was to move Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to a notorious prison based in the northern parts, where his safety cannot be guaranteed. I can confirm now that he’s already in Sokoto prison.

“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. That is why they are desperate to keep him far away, isolated and vulnerable.

“It is also why they activated their cronies to start selling the illusion of renewed hope for Nnamdi Kanu, a psychological tactic to keep the public calm while they execute their darkest agenda. Their plan is simple it is to keep your hopes alive just long enough for him to die in custody.

“They have no intention of releasing him, not even for political calculations or electoral convenience. I have said it before without fear, Nnamdi Kanu's greatest enemies are the politicians from his own region.

"They fear his influence, they fear his connection to the people and they want him silenced permanently. This is why they fought tooth and nail to frustrate our #FreeNnamdiKanuNOW protest."