Nnamdi Kanu, the imprisoned leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has declined to be transferred from Sokoto Correctional Centre to Abuja, according to a detailed statement released on 29 July 2026 by his wife, Uchechigeme Anyanwụụtụtụ Okwu-Kanu.
The development follows an earlier court application in which Kanu sought to be moved from the facility in Sokoto, more than 700 kilometres from Abuja. The application was heard before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court. On 8 December 2025, the judge refused the ex parte application, ruling that such an order could not be granted without first hearing from the Federal Government.
The matter later returned to court, where the application was ultimately struck out after counsel from the Legal Aid Council sought to withdraw from the case. Court-appointed Legal Aid counsel had been provided; Kanu thereafter represented himself.
In her statement, Okwu-Kanu said she had consistently advocated for her husband’s transfer from Sokoto since the earliest days of his detention there. “My concern was never political. It was humanitarian, legal and practical,” she wrote. The long distance, she explained, made family visits, legal consultations and access to his case files unnecessarily difficult.
While she pursued diplomatic and consular channels, including engagement with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Kanu independently filed his own application at the Federal High Court seeking relocation to Abuja to better prepare and file aspects of his defence. After the court’s refusal on 8 December 2025, she continued pressing official channels and later received confirmation from the FCDO case handler that arrangements for the transfer had been made.
At that point, she was informed that her husband had declined to be moved. Following her insistence on an explanation, it was relayed to her that Kanu believed the earlier rejection of his court application had been manipulated. From his perspective, there had been no legitimate reason for the court to refuse the request. He therefore chose to remain in Sokoto, preferring that if he eventually regained his freedom, he would go directly home from there rather than accept a transfer obtained through a different process.
Okwu-Kanu emphasised that her own position never changed. “From day one, I believed that transferring him to Abuja was in his best interests for his safety, his welfare, his access to legal representation and his family’s ability to visit him. I pursued that objective consistently until I was informed that he had chosen otherwise.”
She stated that the purpose of her public clarification was to address months of speculation surrounding the issue. Looking ahead, she announced that the next campaign would focus on securing Kanu’s release and return home. Addressing supporters, she wrote: “Biafrans, this is the time to prove that #IPOB is one family. You all did it when I started the #FreeNnamdiKanu petition while those who love him with their lips were not found. Today, there is a subsequent activity and I implore you all to join me. “