Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has filed a fresh application before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking his immediate transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Facility to a custodial centre within the court’s jurisdiction.
Kanu, who was convicted on November 20, 2025, is currently being held in Sokoto, far from the court handling his appeal processes. In a motion ex parte dated November 22 and filed on November 24, 2025, his counsel, Demdoo Asan, a senior legal officer with the Legal Aid Council, asked the court to order the Federal Government and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to relocate the applicant to Abuja, Suleja, or Keffi custodial centres.
In the application, Kanu sought three major reliefs. The first requested that the motion be deemed moved in his absence due to his inability to appear physically in court. However, Justice James Kolawole Omotosho described the prayer as unnecessary since Kanu was already represented by counsel. Demdoo Asan agreed, and the court subsequently struck out the request.
The remaining two prayers sought a compulsory transfer from Sokoto to a facility within Abuja or its environs to enable Kanu to effectively pursue his constitutional right of appeal.
During proceedings, Justice Omotosho inquired whether the Federal Government and the NCoS had been served with the motion. Asan confirmed that they had not. The judge then clarified that both parties must be served, noting that they were present when judgment was originally delivered.
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Following this clarification, Asan made an oral application to place the respondents on notice. Justice Omotosho granted the request and adjourned the matter to January 27, 2026, for hearing.
