Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer speaks on stabbing at Sokoto prison
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is safe and has not been attacked or stabbed at the Sokoto Custodial Centre.
One of his lawyers, Maxwell Opara, confirmed this in a statement.
Kanu is serving a life sentence at the facility after being convicted by Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court.
The IPOB leader was transferred to Sokoto following his conviction.
Opara explained that claims of an attack on Kanu are false and that he remains in custody without any harm.
Opara also addressed Kanu’s appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which sought to move him to Kuje Correctional Centre.
The court dismissed the case, stating it was no longer relevant due to his conviction.
The lawyer said the move to Sokoto was based on the original court order, which specified that Kanu be kept in a protective custodial facility.
Efforts to clarify the reasons for transferring Kanu to Sokoto revealed that the custodial centre is considered appropriate for his sentence, as directed by Justice Omotosho.
Opara emphasized that all actions regarding Kanu’s custody are in line with the court’s directives, and he is receiving the required attention at the correctional centre.
“I want to start by telling you that nobody stabbed Nnamdi Kanu and nobody attacked him. He is here in the Correctional Centre in Sokoto.
“Secondly, there is this issue of his case that was struck out in the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, last week. That case was filed in 2022 when we asked the court to order the DSS to transfer him back to a correctional centre so he could have access to a medical doctor. But we lost at the Federal High Court and then went to the Court of Appeal.
“When the matter came up, the court said it had become academic and struck it out.
“On the issue that relates to the one he filed at the Federal High Court so he could come back to Abuja to handle his appeal, that particular judgment relating to his conviction and sentence required that he be kept in a protective custodial centre in Nigeria, but he was taken to Sokoto Correctional Centre.
“So we tried to confirm from the correctional facility why they took him to Sokoto. Were they implying that Sokoto is more protective than Abuja?
“They said no. After indicating that in the judgment and in the remand warrant, the judge specifically mentioned Sokoto, and that’s why they took him there. Hence, he filed that motion at the Federal High Court,” he said.
