Igbo Clerics Slam Kanu’s Transfer to Sokoto, Demand Immediate Return to Abuja Custody

|By Chinwendu Nwani

A coalition of South-East clergymen, operating under the Concerned Igbo Ministers Commission, has denounced the Federal Government over the transfer of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, to the Sokoto Custodial Centre, describing the action as political punishment disguised as security protocol.

The clerics, in a statement on Thursday signed by Rev. Tony Uzor Anthony, insisted that Kanu must be relocated immediately to a custodial facility within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to enable him continue his legal defence without hindrance.

They argued that the sudden relocation from Abuja to Sokoto “has nothing to do with justice, law and order, and everything to do with politics and punishment.” The coalition faulted government officials for repeatedly citing “prison insecurity,” while failing to fix the very system they control.

The group further alleged that Kanu’s transfer to Sokoto was a deliberate plot to obstruct his ongoing appeal against his terrorism conviction by limiting access to his legal team.

“Kanu has an active right to consult his lawyers. Moving him to one of the farthest locations from Abuja courts clearly undermines his legal process,” the group stated, querying why the government opted to restrict communication if it was confident in its case.

The clerics also faulted attempts to involve the judiciary in determining Kanu’s prison location, stressing that such power rests exclusively with the Correctional Service, not the courts.

They warned that the continued treatment of Kanu was not just an isolated case but a broader test of Nigeria’s commitment to fairness and the rule of law. “If this behaviour continues unchecked, no citizen is safe,” they added.

The group demanded Kanu’s prompt return to an Abuja custodial facility, insisting that justice must not be manipulated through distance, denial of access, or political orders.