Why Nnamdi Kanu want court to transfer am from Sokoto prison

Di leader of di Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), Nnamdi Kanu, don file application for di Federal High Court for Abuja to ask di court make dem transfer am come Abuja prison or any oda correctional facility wey dey within di jurisdiction of di court.

For di motion wey come up bifor Justice James Omotosho on Monday morning, Kanu explain say as im dey defend imsef, im need to dey for location wey close to wia e wan file im appeal.

Kanu dey serve life sentence afta court find am guilty of seven counts of terrorism wey di Nigeria govment bi sama am.

Justice James Omotosho wey give di judgement bin also order make dem no keep di Ipob leader for di Kuje prison for di Federal Capital Territory sake of say di facility don get plenty reports of jailbreaks.

Tori later come out say dem later transfer Kanu to di prison wey dey for Sokoto, for di northwest region of Nigeria.

Howeva, for court dis Monday morning, one lawyer wey im name na Demdoo Asan, wey tok say im na from di Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, present three motions bifor Justice Omotosho on behalf of Nnamdi Kanu.

Legal Aid Council na agency of di federal govment wey dia job na to provide free legal assistance for pipo wey no get lawyers, especially pesin wey no fit afford to pay for legal services.

Oga Asan say dem deploy am from Benue State make e come represent Kanu for di mata, and di three applications na:

.Order of court for Kanu to move di motion in absentia sake of say e dey impossible for am to be present to personally move the motion

.Order of court to compel di Federal Government and/or di Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) "to forthwit transfer am from di Sokoto Correctional Facility to custodial facility witin di jurisdiction of dis Honourable Court.

.Order of court to transfer Kanu to di "immediate environs" of di court, such as di Suleja or di Keffi Custodial Centre, for di purpose of enabling di applicant to effectively prosecute im constitutionally guaranteed right of appeal.

Judge say 'no'

Responding to di applications, Justice Omotosho ask di lawyer weda im tink say di first application still dey relevant since im don already dey represent Kanu for di mata.

"You still tink say di motion na in absentia?" di trial judge ask. And di counsel respond say e gree say di first application no longer dey relevant as di applicant get representation for court.

Oga Omotosho den strike application number one comot.

For di second item, di judge ask di lawyer weda e tink say di word 'compel' na di appropriate term to use for dia. Asan look di sentence again and suggest say if e no dey appropriate, make im change am with di word 'direct'.

Di correct line go now be: "Order of court to direct di Federal Government and/or di Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS)..."

Finally, di trial judge also ask di lawyer weda e tink say e dey right to hear di mata as 'exparte motion' abi e go good to notify di respondents wey be di Nigeria govment and di prison authorities make dem dey present for di proceedings.

Di respondents dey present wen di sentence bin dey delivered, as a minister for di temple of justice, you no tink say e go dey good to also put dem in notice so dat dem go dey present for di hearing of dis proceedings, Omotosho ask.

Asan respond say na di correct tin to do, so e ask di court to adjourn di mata make im go serve di respondents di motion on notice.

Sake of di judges vacation wey go start from mid December dis year reach mid January of 2026, Justice Omotosho adjourn di mata to 27 January, 2026 for continuation.

Dis mata bin first come up on Thursday, 4 December, 2025, but na Nnamdi Kanu younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, bin bring am to court and na im bin wan address di court as e claim say im broda no longer get lawyer.

But Justice Omotosho shun am and tell am say im go need at least six years of study bifor e go fit bicom lawyer and dey qualified to address di court.

According to wetin one of Kanu former lawyers bin tell BBC tori pesin, di Court of Appeal for Sokoto no get jurisdiction to entertain Nnamdi Kanu appeal, and bicos say na im dey represent imsef, e need to dey physically interface wit di Registry of di federal high court and di Court of Appeal for Abuja.

"Di applicant continued detention for Sokoto don render im constitutional right to appeal impracticable, e don cause am exceptional hardship, e don potentially defeat di said right, and e violate Section 36 of di Constitution of di Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)," Kanu write.

Nnamdi Kanu start to dey come court wit plenty documents wen e wwithdraw all im lawyers and tok say na im go defend imsef for di terrorism charges wey govment sama am.