Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has visited the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at a prison facility in Sokoto State.
The governor was accompanied by Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu; the Abia State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN); and his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma. Officials of the Sokoto State Government were also present during the visit.
In a statement, Otti’s spokesman said the governor urged Kanu to remain calm and strong, adding that efforts he initiated more than two years ago to secure Kanu’s release had been intensified despite recent developments.
“Governor Otti while discussing with Mazi Kanu during the visit encouraged him to remain strong, assuring that the engagements he started over two years ago, which the IPOB leader has been aware of, have been intensified in spite of what happened,” the statement read.
Otti told the IPOB leader that he remained committed to seeing the issue resolved through administrative channels.
According to the statement, Otti also informed Kanu that the Sultan of Sokoto supported the need to de-escalate tension surrounding the case. He added that the Sultan had jokingly remarked that Kanu had become his subject and would be turbaned, a comment that reportedly made Kanu laugh.
“Governor Otti expressed joy that the Sultan of Sokoto is on the same page with him on the need for Kanu’s freedom and de-escalation of tension, and informed Mazi Kanu that the Sultan of Sokoto had on a lighter note told him that Kanu is now his subject and he was going to Turbane him, an information that got the IPOB Leader laughing loudly.”
The visit comes two weeks after a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Kanu of terrorism. Justice James Omotosho found him guilty on all seven counts brought by the Nigerian government and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The court also directed that Kanu be denied access to mobile devices and broadcasting equipment except under strict supervision by security operatives.
Otti had previously stated that Kanu would regain his freedom in the near future, insisting that the matter required a political and administrative resolution rather than prolonged confrontation.
Kanu has been in detention since his arrest and extradition in 2021. His case has drawn significant national and international attention, with calls from political leaders, civil society groups and traditional rulers urging the government to seek a diplomatic end to the crisis.
Otti’s latest visit is expected to renew discussions around possible administrative options for addressing the agitation led by Kanu and easing tensions in the South-East region.
