No Court Order, No Freedom’ — Kanu’s Family Speaks

The family of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has declared that he will not accept any transfer from the Sokoto Custodial Centre unless such a move is authorised by a competent court.

According to Ireporter Online, the position was made known in a statement issued on Friday by Prince Emmanuel Kanu on behalf of the Okwu-Kanu family of Umuahia, Abia State. The family explained that Kanu’s continued detention in Sokoto is one of the central issues before the Court of Appeal and warned that any relocation outside the judicial process could undermine his pending appeal.

The statement followed calls from some supporters and concerned individuals urging the IPOB leader to accept a transfer to Abuja through means other than a court order.

The family maintained that Kanu, who is representing himself before the Court of Appeal, must avoid any action that could be interpreted as abandoning any of the 15 grounds contained in his appeal.

It stressed that voluntarily leaving the Sokoto Custodial Centre without a judicial directive could be used by the prosecution to argue that he had waived part of his legal challenge, particularly allegations relating to judicial bias and denial of fair hearing.

According to the family, Kanu’s legal strategy has been carefully developed over several months, adding that any move outside the court process could jeopardise efforts to overturn his conviction.

The statement recalled that Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Kanu on November 20, 2025, sentencing him to life imprisonment and ordering that he serve the sentence at the Sokoto Custodial Centre.

The family argued that the decision to transfer him to Sokoto forms a significant aspect of the appeal, insisting that the appellate court is the proper authority to determine whether the decision was lawful and whether it reflected judicial bias.

It further disclosed that an earlier application seeking Kanu’s relocation was struck out after he was allegedly prevented from attending the hearing, while a lawyer appointed to represent him reportedly withdrew from the case.

The family also revealed that although British consular officials had explored possible intervention to facilitate his transfer to Abuja, Kanu declined the proposal, insisting that any change to his place of detention must come through the courts.

Reaffirming its confidence in the judicial process, the family appealed to supporters to refrain from actions capable of weakening the appeal, maintaining that the Court of Appeal remains the only institution empowered to decide Kanu’s place of custody and the validity of the issues raised in his legal challenge.