Barely a day after his conviction and life sentence on terrorism charges, the Federal Government has quietly relocated detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu from the DSS facility in Abuja to the Sokoto Custodial Centre in far-north-west Nigeria.

The transfer, confirmed on Friday by Kanu’s ex lead counsel Aloy Ejimakor, has sparked outrage and renewed agitation across the South-East. Human-rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore described the move as “a death sentence by instalment.”

In a strongly worded thread on X, Sowore alleged that the government deliberately chose Sokoto to isolate Kanu and expose him to danger:
“They have done it. Early this morning they secretly moved Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to Sokoto Prison, a notorious facility deep in bandit territory where his life cannot be guaranteed. This was planned from day one. They openly said Kuje Prison would turn him into a ‘king’ because his people would make it a place of pilgrimage. So they chose isolation, distance, and danger instead.”

Sowore further accused political elites from Kanu’s own region of undermining past #FreeNnamdiKanuNOW campaigns, claiming they fear his influence more than they fear government reprisals.

As of press time, neither the Nigerian Correctional Service nor the DSS has issued an official statement on the transfer. Family members said they were not informed beforehand and have been unable to reach him since the relocation.

The move places Kanu more than 700 km away from his lawyers and supporters in the South-East, in a state that has recorded multiple deadly bandit attacks on prisons and security formations in 2025. Justice James Omotosho’s November 20 ruling had ordered that Kanu be kept in “monitored protective custody” without access to unsupervised electronic devices, but did not specify the facility.

The development has reignited tensions across the South-East, with hashtags #MNKInSokoto and #FreeNnamdiKanuNOW trending nationwide within hours of the news.