Court Adjourns Hearing of Nnamdi Kanu’s Ex Parte Motion Seeking Transfer from Sokoto Prison to Abuja Custodial Centre
The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, on Thursday fixed 8 December 2025 for hearing of an ex parte motion filed by the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, seeking transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Facility to a custodial centre within the court’s jurisdiction.
On 20 November 2025, Kanu was convicted on all seven counts of terrorism charges brought by the Federal Government and sentenced to life imprisonment. Following the conviction, the court directed his detention outside the Kuje Correctional Facility, citing security concerns arising from previous prison breaks, and he was subsequently transferred to Sokoto.
Prior to judgment, Kanu disengaged his legal team and elected to conduct his own defence. At Thursday’s proceedings, however, his younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, attempted to announce appearance for him. The presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, declined audience, stressing that only a legal practitioner enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria can move such an application. The court advised Emmanuel to secure counsel or approach the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria for representation.
Justice Omotosho further cautioned against public misinformation regarding appellate procedure. He clarified that a convict’s physical presence is not required for compilation of the record of appeal, contrary to public remarks attributed to one of Kanu’s former lawyers. The judge emphasized that while a defendant enjoys certain rights pre‑conviction, those rights differ once conviction has been entered.
In his motion ex parte (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015), personally signed, Kanu prayed the court to deem the application moved in absentia, given his inability to appear in person. He sought orders compelling the Federal Government and the Nigerian Correctional Service to transfer him from Sokoto to a facility within Abuja or its immediate environs (such as Suleja or Keffi Custodial Centres) to enable effective prosecution of his appeal.
Kanu argued that his continued detention in Sokoto—over 700 kilometres from Abuja—renders exercise of his constitutional right of appeal impracticable, occasioning undue hardship and potentially defeating that right, contrary to Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). He maintained that proximity to Abuja is necessary to interface with the Registry of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, as well as with relatives and consultants based in the capital.
The matter was adjourned to 8 December 2025 for hearing of the pending application.
