The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who was recently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism charges, has filed a new motion before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The motion seeks his transfer from Sokoto prison, adducing reasons why his current detention location hinders his legal rights.
Kanu, who stated he is currently unrepresented by counsel, personally signed the motion ex parte (marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015) and informed the court that his detention in the Sokoto Custodial Centre would hamper his ability to effectively appeal against his conviction and sentence.
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The motion was presented to the trial court on Thursday by his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu.
The applicant acknowledged the impossibility of his appearance before the court or chambers to personally move the motion, and therefore requested the judge to proceed and hear the motion in his absence.
In the eight grounds supporting his application, Kanu stressed that he was sentenced on November 20, after the court found him guilty of the seven-count terrorism charge” preferred by the federal government.
He noted that the court subsequently ordered his detention in any correctional facility in the country except the Kuje Correctional Centre.
Kanu detailed the geographical challenge: “On the 21st of November 2025, the applicant was transferred to, and is currently detained at the Sokoto Correctional Facility, which is over 700 kilometres from Abuja.”
He argued that successfully prosecuting his appeal requires his personal interface with the Registry of this Honourable Court and the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
Furthermore, he explained that All persons critical to assisting the applicant in preparing his appeal, including his relatives, associates, and legal consultants, are based in Abuja.
He asserted that his continued detention in Sokoto renders his constitutional right to appeal impracticable, occasioning exceptional hardship and potentially defeating the said right, in violation of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
Kanu maintained that transferring him to a facility near Abuja would be in the interest of justice to enable him to effectively prosecute his appeal.
He prayed the court to compel the federal government and/or the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to forthwith, transfer him from the Sokoto Correctional Facility to a custodial facility within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court.
Alternatively, he sought an order transferring him to the court’s immediate environs, such as the Suleja or the Keffi Custodial Centre, for the purpose of enabling the applicant to effectively prosecute his constitutionally guaranteed right of appeal.
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