Reports indicate that inmates at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Sokoto have declared the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as their president.
His transfer to the prison followed his recent sentencing to life imprisonment by Justice James Omotosho, who found him guilty on seven terrorism-related charges linked to his separatist campaign, his role in violent incidents, his membership in a banned organisation, and the importation of an unregistered radio transmitter.
Before his conviction, Kanu had spent years in the custody of the Department of State Services in Abuja while facing a long and contentious trial. His movement to Sokoto Prison triggered an unusual scene. According to Daily Sun, inmates erupted in excitement and unanimously conferred on him the title of “Prison President.”
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Witnesses described how prisoners rushed forward to greet him, eager to shake his hand while praising him as someone who speaks with uncommon boldness. A senior official in the facility, who requested anonymity, said Kanu’s presence had already reshaped the atmosphere within his block, noting that he often addressed fellow inmates in a manner that reminded many of his broadcasts on Radio Biafra. The official added that even those who once disagreed with him now sit quietly to listen, drawn more by his confidence and clarity than by any shared ideology.
The official explained that Kanu’s influence has grown rapidly inside the prison. Many inmates see him as a figure who speaks without hesitation and carries himself with conviction. His arrival, they said, has created a new centre of attention within the correctional facility, regardless of where individuals stand on his beliefs.
