DSS Moves Nnamdi Kanu to Sokoto Prison
DSS Moves Nnamdi Kanu to Sokoto Prison
.Transfer to Sokoto prison has frustrated Kanu’s appeal, says consultant
.Our son not a terrorist, traditional rulers from Kanu’s clan insist
.US-based groups say he never plotted to bomb US, British missions
Alex Enumah, Kuni Tyessi in Abuja and Boniface Okoro in Umuahia
The Department of State Services (DSS) has transferred the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to the Nigerian Custodial Centre in Sokoto.
One of Kanu’s legal consultants, Aloy Ejimakor, confirmed the relocation.
Another consultant to the IPOB leader, Maxwell Opara, told THISDAY that the transfer of Kanu from the custody of the DSS has frustrated his appeal against his terrorism conviction and sentencing.
Also, the traditional rulers from Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State have rejected the terrorist label on Kanu by Justice James Omotosho, insisting that their son is a freedom fighter.
This was as a United States of America-based pro-Igbo advocacy organisations have rejected the claim that he plotted to bomb the United States and British missions in Nigeria, describing the allegation contained in Justice Omotosho’s judgement as a “fabrication” intended to demonise him.
Within 24 hours of his conviction Ejimakor raised the alarm of his transfer to the Correctional Centre in Sokoto.
He wrote: “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has just been moved from DSS Abuja to the correctional facility (prison) in Sokoto; so far away from his lawyers, family, loved ones and well-wishers.”
It would be recalled that Justice Omotosho had on Thursday, sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment, after convicting him on all seven-count terrorism charges filed against him by the federal government.
The judge also directed the Correctional Service to keep the IPOB leader in protective custody in any part of the country, adding that the Kuje Correctional Centre may not be appropriate for the remand of the pro-Biafran agitator.
Since his rearrest and reparation to Nigeria in 2021, Kanu had been in the custody of the DSS, from where he was attending his trial.
Opara, who faulted the transfer of Kanu, said, “they know he is the one representing himself and he is appealing the judgement, they now transfer him to Sokoto, what an injustice is this.”
He said the IPOB leader had written his appeal and given it to them to type for him before signing and filing, adding that with the transfer Kanu was not able to sign the appeal process.
Meanwhile, the royal fathers under the aegis of Traditional Rulers Council of Umuahia North in a statement issued yesterday said, “The recent judgement, though deeply painful to us as fathers and leaders, does not erase what we know in truth: that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a terrorist. He is freedom fighter who has consistently spoken out against injustice and the marginalisation of his people.”
The royal fathers who are from Kanu’s ancestral clan said though they are pained by Kanu’s conviction, they were upbeat that he would regain freedom one day.
Their statement reads in part: “We, the Royal Fathers and custodians of the ancestral ancient Kingdom of Umuahia land, with heavy hearts yet unbroken spirits, address our people, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the world, following the judgement delivered in Abuja against our Illustrious son and our crown prince, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“For over a decade, our son has stood before the courts of this nation, enduring trials, detentions and unimaginable hardships.”
They asserted that Kanu was innocent of the charges brought against him stressing that his conviction does not extinguish their hope.
“We insist, as we have always done, that our son remains innocent of the charges brought against him. The decisions pronounced by Justice Gbenga Omotosho do not diminish his spirit, nor do they extinguish the hope of millions who believe in justice, fairness and the rule of law. Justice delayed may be painful, but justice denied cannot stand forever.
“As custodians of ancestral wisdom, we remind the nation that the wheels of justice, though sometimes slow, ultimately grind toward truth. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu retains the legal and constitutional right to appeal this judgement all the way to Supreme Court, which has in previous times, spoken to the irregularities surrounding his being in court,” the traditional rulers stated.
Going philosophical, the monarchs said: “With unwavering faith, we believe that no matter how long the night lingers, morning must come and our son shall one day walk free again.”
They reiterated their appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grant presidential pardon to their son and release him to them as his fathers, his community and his people “who have watched this prolonged trial with patience, restraint and respect for the laws of our country.”
They emphasised that their plea “is not one of defiance but one of compassion, not one of confrontation but of reconciliation; not one of bitterness but of hope that this nation may yet bind its wounds and heal.”
Appealing for peace to prevail, the traditional rulers stressed that the gods of the land would continue to be with Kanu.
“As Royal fathers, we sue for peace and calm. We call for unity, restraint amongst our youths and all who are pained by this development. Let no one take the laws into his/her hands. Let wisdom guide our actions and courage guide our hearts.
“The ancestral ancient kingdom of Umuahia land stands firm, Our spirits do not bow as Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remains our son, our pride and our hope,” they stressed.
They extended their appreciation to all who offered their support and remained steadfast while Kanu’s case lasted at the Federal High Court, adding, “we shall continue to pray, speak and stand until justice is done.”
Meanwhile, the position of United States of America-based pro-Igbo advocacy organisations was made known during a joint press conference in the United States addressed by the President of the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Dr. Sylvester Onyia; US-based Catholic priest and Coordinator of Rising Sun, Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa; and the Executive Director of Ambassador for Self-Determination, Ben Nwankwo.
In their statement titled ‘Justice Omotosho’s Fictional Bomb Plot Against US and UK Missions: A Manufactured Lie that Collapses His Judgement against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’, the groups accused the judge of inserting into his judgement a narrative that never appeared in any of the court proceedings.
The groups insisted that throughout the proceedings before Justice Omotosho, nothing remotely connected to such an allegation was ever presented, and to this, they invited Nigerian and international media, human rights organisations, diplomats and the general public to review the transcripts once released.
“We address you today on one central, shocking point in the judgement delivered by Justice James Omotosho against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: The claim that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu planned to bomb the British and United States missions in Nigeria,” the coalition said.
“We state openly and without fear of contradiction: This allegation was never charged, never testified to, never tendered in evidence, and never mentioned by any witness in the entire trial.
“It is a pure invention of the judge, inserted into the judgment to demonise Mazi Nnamdi Kanu before the world and to drive a wedge between him and the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom,” they stated.
“No charge alleged any plan to bomb US or UK embassies. No prosecution witness testified about any such plot. No document, exhibit, audio, video, or intelligence report was tendered to support such a claim,” they further stated.
“The defence had no opportunity to cross-examine any witness on this issue, because it never arose in court. Yet, in his judgement, Justice Omotosho casually wrote in this wild story of a supposed plan to bomb the British and American missions. This is not a mistake. It is a fabrication.
“Those transcripts will show clearly that no prosecutor, no witness, and no document ever mentioned any threat to US or UK missions; the only people who testified against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu were hired storytellers, and even they did not tell this particular story,” they said.
They added that “once a judge bases a criminal conviction on fabricated, extraneous material, the entire judgment is poisoned. It is legally unsafe, morally bankrupt, and constitutionally void.”
The groups warned that the implications go beyond Kanu’s individual case asserting, “When a judge in a criminal trial descends into the arena of fabrication and lies, the judiciary itself is in trouble.
“This is no longer about one man, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. It is about whether any Nigerian can trust that our courts will decide cases on evidence, not on scripts; judges will respect the record, not rewrite it; the bench will not be used as a tool to destroy political opponents,” they said.
“Justice Omotosho’s conduct sends the worst possible signal, both domestically and internationally. It tells the world that Nigeria’s courts can be used to manufacture ‘terrorists’ on paper while ignoring the actual evidence. We will not allow this to pass quietly,” the coalition argued.
They listed their next steps, saying they would immediately publish transcripts of the proceedings before “they falsify it,” file appropriate appeals challenging the judgment, petition the NJC for investigation, and engage directly with U.S. and U.K. authorities to expose what they described as a false narrative.
.Transfer to Sokoto prison has frustrated Kanu’s appeal, says consultant .Our son not a terrorist, traditional rulers from Kanu’s clan insist .US-based groups say he never plotted to bomb US, British missions Alex Enumah, Kuni Tyessi in Abuja and Boniface Okoro in Umuahia The Department of State Services (DSS) has transferred the
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