Court Declines NNAMDI KANU's Ex Parte Motion Seeking Transfer from Sokoto Prisons

The Federal High Court in Abuja has refused to grant an ex parte motion for the transfer of pro-Biafra agitator, NNAMDI KANU, from the Sokoto Custodial Centre, where is serving life imprisonment for terrorism. In a motion ex parte filed before the court, NNAMDI KANU, requested to be transferred from the Sokoto Prison to any other facility within the jurisdiction of the court, such as Suleja or Keffi Custodial Centres. KANU argued that the transfer from Sokoto to either Niger or Nasarawa states is to enable him to effectively prosecute his constitutionally guaranteed right of appeal. However, Justice JAMES OMOTOSHO held that KANU’s application, which was moved by a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, DEMDOO ASAN, cannot be granted through ex-parte motion. Justice OMOTOSHO held that the respondents – the Federal Government and Nigerian Correctional Service – ought to be put on notice to respond appropriately in the interest of justice before the request could be granted. Justice OMOTOSHO also struck out KANU’s notice of appeal, which he said was filed on November 10, 2025, ten days before the judgment he delivered on November 20, 2025, declaring that there was no notice of appeal before the court based on the judgment. Following the development, the judge adjourned the case until January 27, 2026, to enable the applicant to serve the necessary parties and for the application to be taken. Recall that the Justice OMOTOSHO had on December 4, 2025, declined to give audience to KANU’s younger brother, EMMANUEL KANU, who announced his appearance for the IPOB leader in spite of not being a lawyer.