Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Abuja, Nigeria — Contradicting recent social media claims, a lawyer for Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has firmly denied reports that he was stabbed while in custody at the Sokoto Custodial Centre. Legal counsel Maxwell Opara issued a statement on Saturday confirming that Kanu is safe and unharmed at the facility, refuting allegations of a violent attack circulating online.
Kanu, who was convicted of terrorism-related offences by the Federal High Court in Abuja and sentenced to life imprisonment, was transferred to the Sokoto Correctional Centre following his sentencing. In his clarification, Opara emphasised that no stabbing or assault occurred, and the widely shared narrative on social platforms is false and misleading. He reiterated that Kanu remains in custody without injuries and is being held in accordance with the correctional facility’s procedures.
The lawyer also addressed recent legal developments in Kanu’s case, including the status of his ongoing appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. Opara explained that a motion aimed at relocating Kanu back to a facility in Abuja to facilitate his appeals process was struck out by the appellate court, which ruled it had become academic following his conviction and transfer.
According to Opara, the decision to house Kanu at the Sokoto facility was based on the original court order following sentencing, which specified placement in a custodial centre deemed appropriate for his sentence. He pointed out that communications with the prison indicate this arrangement was made “on order of the court,” and not for any punitive or extrajudicial purpose beyond the judicial direction.
The correctional centre in Sokoto has been under scrutiny since Kanu’s transfer, with supporters and critics alike questioning the choice of facility given the distance from his legal team, family and the Abuja division handling his appeal. However, Opara’s statement aims to reassure the public that Kanu’s physical safety is intact and that unfounded claims of violence should be disregarded.
The clarification comes amid a climate of heightened sensitivity around Kanu’s detention and legal proceedings, which have been the subject of pronounced public attention and debate. As legal challenges continue, the lawyer’s denials are likely to figure prominently in efforts by both supporters and neutral observers to quash misinformation and preserve procedural integrity.
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