iDeemlawfulInmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sokoto, have announced the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as their president.
Recall that Kanu was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, after he was found guilty on all seven counts of terrorism offences.
The charges related to his secessionist activities, terrorism acts, membership of a proscribed organisation, killing of security personnel, destruction of government property, concealment, and the importation of an unapproved radio transmitter.
The IPOB leader, who had been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja throughout his lengthy trial, was transferred to Sokoto Prisons after receiving his life sentence.
According to Daily Sun, drama unfolded upon his arrival at the Sokoto facility as inmates collectively proclaimed him the “Prison President.”
Witnesses said inmates rushed toward him, eager to shake his hand, describing him as “a man who speaks the truth without fear.”
A senior prison official, who requested anonymity, said: “Kanu has practically turned his cell block into a mini Radio Biafra. Even those who once opposed him now sit quietly to listen. The surprising part is that nobody forces them—his words pull them.”
The official added that the IPOB leader has visibly altered the mood within the prison:
“Whether people agree with his ideology or not, nobody denies that he talks boldly, fearlessly, and with deep conviction. That alone has made him a prominent figure in this place.”
Meanwhile, the family of the IPOB leader has raised concerns that an Abuja court declined to issue a Production Warrant that would have allowed the Sokoto Correctional Facility to bring him to the Federal Capital Territory on Friday to complete his appeal documentation.
A spokesperson for the family and Kanu’s younger brother, Emma Kanu, revealed in a phone conversation with our correspondent on Thursday morning that the Abuja High Court had issued “a summons to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to appear on November 28 at the Federal High Court in Abuja for the settlement of records regarding the appeal he filed prior to the November 20 judgment.”
A production warrant is a compulsory order directing prison authorities to bring an inmate from custody to court.
According to Emma, “a production warrant is required for the Sokoto Prison to transport him (Nnamdi Kanu) to Abuja, but the Court declined to issue it.”
In a summons sighted, the Principal Registrar I, Federal High Court, Abuja, Ojonugwa Thomas, referenced Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2025 between Nnamdi Kanu and the Federal Government, summoning the parties “to settle record (in compliance with Order and Rule 2 of the Court of Appeal Rules, 2021).”
The summons stated that “all parties concerned are required to attend before me at the Appeal Section of the Federal High Court Headquarters, Plot 1048 (710) Cadastral Zone A100, Off Shehu Shagari Way, Central Business District, Abuja, on the 28th day of November 2025 at the hour of 11:00 a.m. to proceed with settlement of the Record of Appeal therein.”
