Uchechigeme Okwu-Kanu, wife of the detained leader of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has disclosed that her husband declined an arrangement to transfer him from the Sokoto Correctional Centre to Abuja.
In a statement posted on her verified Facebook page on Wednesday, Okwu-Kanu sought to clarify months of speculation surrounding the issue, explaining that although she had consistently campaigned for his relocation, Kanu chose to remain in Sokoto.
According to her, the controversy began after Kanu filed an application before the Federal High Court seeking to be moved from the Sokoto Correctional Centre, located more than 700 kilometres from Abuja.
The application, heard by Justice James Omotosho, was dismissed on December 8, 2025, after the judge ruled that the ex parte request could not be granted without first hearing from the federal government.
She explained that when the matter later returned to court, the application was eventually struck out after counsel from the Legal Aid Council withdrew from the case, leaving Kanu to represent himself.
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Okwu-Kanu said she had continued to pursue her husband’s transfer through diplomatic and consular channels, including engagements with the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), stressing that her interest was driven by humanitarian, legal and practical concerns.
“My concern was never political. It was humanitarian, legal and practical,” she wrote, adding that the distance between Sokoto and Abuja, made family visits, legal consultations and access to case files unnecessarily difficult.
According to her, the UK authorities later informed her that arrangements had been concluded for the transfer to proceed.
“Eventually, I received confirmation from our case handler at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) that arrangements had been made for the transfer to proceed.
“It was at that point that I was informed that my husband had declined to be moved from Sokoto. Naturally, I wanted to understand why,” she said.
She stated that after making further enquiries, she was told Kanu believed the earlier court refusal of his transfer request had been manipulated.
“Following my insistence, it was relayed to me that he believed the earlier rejection of his own application had been manipulated.
“From his perspective, there had been no legitimate reason for the court to refuse the request. He therefore chose to remain in Sokoto, preferring that if he eventually regained his freedom, he would go directly home from there rather than accept a transfer obtained through a different process,” she added.
Despite Kanu’s decision, Okwu-Kanu maintained that relocating him to Abuja remains the better option.
“From day one, I believed that transferring him to Abuja was in his best interests for his safety, his welfare, his access to legal representation and his family’s ability to visit him.
“I pursued that objective consistently until I was informed that he had chosen otherwise,” she said.
She explained that her public statement was intended to put an end to speculation over the failed transfer.
Okwu-Kanu also announced that the next phase of the campaign would focus on securing Kanu’s release, urging IPOB supporters to unite behind the effort.
“Biafrans, this is the time to prove that #IPOB is one family. You all did it when I started the #FreeNnamdiKanu petition while those who love him with their lips were not found.
“Today, there is a subsequent activity and I implore you all to join me,” she wrote.
