Court Declines Urgent Bid To Relocate Nnamdi Kanu From Sokoto Custody

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed an emergency request by detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, seeking immediate transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Centre to either Kuje in the FCT or Keffi in Nasarawa State.

Kanu, through the Legal Aid Council, had filed an ex-parte application asking the court to compel the Federal Government and the Nigerian Correctional Service to relocate him without first hearing from the respondents.

He argued that the move was essential for him to “effectively prosecute his constitutionally guaranteed right of appeal” and to place him within the court’s closer jurisdiction.

Presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, refused the request, ruling that granting such an order without hearing from the opposing parties would not serve the interest of justice.

He ordered Kanu’s legal team to convert the application into a motion on notice, serve all parties, and return for proper hearing.

The matter is now scheduled for January 27, 2026.

Only last week, the same court declined to recognise Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, who attempted to stand in for him despite not being a lawyer.