Tension has risen in Sokoto and surrounding communities following reports that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has been transferred to the Sokoto Central Correctional Centre.
The development reportedly followed his sentencing to life imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.
While delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the Department of State Services (DSS) was permitted to move Kanu to any correctional facility within Nigeria.
The court upheld allegations that Kanu employed acts amounting to terrorism in his campaign for the secession of the South-East, South-South, and parts of Benue and Kogi states.
On Friday, Kanu’s legal representative, Aloy Ejimakor, announced that his client had been relocated from the DSS facility in Abuja to Sokoto.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has just been moved from DSS Abuja to the correctional facility in Sokoto; so far away from his lawyers, family, loved ones and well-wishers,” Ejimakor wrote.
Residents living near the custodial centre told our reporter that security presence around the area has increased significantly on Thursday.
“We noticed unusual deployment of security personnel since yesterday (Thursday), which made us suspect a high-profile inmate was being brought in,” Malam Abdulmumini, a trader whose shop is close to the facility, said on Friday.
“Movement along the prison road is restricted. Today we learned that Nnamdi Kanu was brought here, and it has caused concern among many of us. Business is open, but we are cautious because of our proximity to the centre,” he added.
Other residents took to social media to express fear and uncertainty about the reported transfer.
Although the correctional service has yet to issue an official statement, a staff member who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the development.
“Yes, it is true he is in our custody, but we don’t allow anyone close to the centre. That is all,” the official said.
Security around the area remains tight as residents await further clarification from authorities.
