•Incarcerated IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu
Family of the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has raised an alarm over alleged persistent calls, both public and private urging him (Kanu) to accept relocation from Sokoto Prison to Abuja.
The family stated that they considered it necessary to clarify their position and to caution against any course of action that could undermine the pending appeal before the Court of Appeal, reports The Guardian.
A statement by the family in reaction to the calls signed by Prince Emmanuel Kanu said that any voluntary relocation outside the judicial process could be argued by the Respondent as an abandonment of the grounds of the appeal.
He stated that the legal team considers it prudent not to create that risk, stressing that the appeal must be allowed to run its full course, and that the Sokoto sentencing – which the legal team believes is the most visible manifestation of bias in the entire trial – must be adjudicated by the Court of Appeal.
The statement added that Nnamdi Kanu would be appearing “in person in the appeal” and had invested considerable time and legal reasoning in preparing the appeal, adding that the family would not allow that effort to be undermined by extra-judicial interventions.
“It is a matter of public record that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is appearing pro se (in person) before the Court of Appeal in the pending appeal against his conviction. He has demonstrated an extraordinary grasp of the legal issues, having personally argued and briefed multiple jurisdictional grounds that his legal team believes are among the most potent ever raised in a Nigerian criminal appeal.
“Appearing pro se imposes a heightened duty on the court to ensure that his rights are protected and that he is not taken advantage of by the prosecution.
“It also means that any course of action that could be construed as abandoning a ground of appeal — such as voluntarily leaving Sokoto Custodial Centre would be particularly damaging to his case.
“The Kanu family is committed to ensuring that his pro se status does not result in any inadvertent waiver of his constitutional rights,” the statement said.
They contended that the Sokoto sentencing, when considered together with the other fourteen independent grounds of appeal, would warrant setting aside the conviction.
“This issue has been fully briefed and is now awaiting determination by the Court of Appeal. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, appearing pro se, has personally argued these issues and will not allow any course of action that could undermine them.
“It is a matter of record that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, brought a motion before Justice James Omotosho seeking to vary or rescind the Sokoto sentencing. The court declined to hear the motion on its merits, instead insisting that the government be put on notice. That was done. The government was duly served.
“Justice Omotosho then declined to allow Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to attend the hearing, instead appointing Legal Aid Counsel to represent him. The appointed counsel withdrew, and the motion was subsequently struck out. The judicial process was not exhausted because the court itself obstructed it. That obstruction, too, will be argued on appeal. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has done everything within his power to challenge the Sokoto sentencing through the courts”, they further stated.
Justice Omotosho had on November, 2025, convicted Kanu and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He had thereafter ordered that he serve his sentence at the Sokoto Custodial Centre.
The family said that Nnamdi Kanu, appearing person, had made it clear that he would not accept any intervention that bypasses the judicial process.
“We understand the concern —Sokoto is not Abuja. It is distant, unfamiliar, and its symbolism is deeply troubling. But the symbolism is not a problem to be escaped; it is a legal issue to be adjudicated by the Court of Appeal,” the family held.
