Contrary to some media reports, Nnamdi Kanu is in high spirits and “all smiles” in Sokoto Correctional Facility as he serves the life imprisonment sentence slammed on him by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja.
His state of being came to light in a statement issued Sunday night by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
The governor had paid a visit to Kanu yesterday in the facility. There was fortified security presence during the visit.
Kanu, a Nigerian-Briton, hails from Abia State.
During the meeting, Otti urged the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to remain calm and resolute as he (Otti) intensifies ongoing engagements aimed at securing his release.
Accompanied by Abia State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN); Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu; and senior officials of the Sokoto State government, the governor told the IPOB leader that the processes he (governor) started over two years ago to settle Kanu’s detention (and now jail) issue had been “heightened despite recent developments.”
Otti rallied Kanu to “remain calm but strong,” assuring that the matter “will be resolved administratively,” and affirmed that the IPOB leader would eventually be freed.
The statement quoted Otti as expressing satisfaction that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, shared his stance on the need to free Kanu and the removal of regional tensions.
The statement noted that Kanu was in high spirits during the visit, and,in while responding, reportedly thanked Otti for the gesture.
The statement asserted that Kanu was “all smiles” during the meeting.
His primary interest in his agitation, he stressed, was for good governance and justice and efforts to enhance the well-being of the people.
He prayed for God’s guidance for Otti and his team as they continue to serve the state.
Recall that Kanu was convicted on 21 November this year by the Federal High Court on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to life imprisonment.
He was transferred from long-time custody in the Department of State Services (DSS) headquarters, Abuja, to Sokoto Correctional Facility in a matter of hours with many persons expressing fear for his safety in the heart of the Sokoto Caliphate given his rhetoric against the Fulani, the dominant group in the Caliphate.
In October 2023, a High Court in Enugu had nullified Federal Government’s 2017 proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organization and awarded N8 billion against the defendants –South East Governors Forum and Federal Government –the first and second defendants respectively in the case.
However, following an appeal, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal upheld the Federal Government’s proscription of IPOB as a terrorist group.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Gov. Otti (left) and Kanu.
