From Sokoto Prison to Aso Rock: Otti Steps Up Campaign for Kanu’s Release
Abia, Nigeria – December 4, 2025
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has intensified his quest to secure the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the illegally detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), with a follow-up engagement at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
This high-level visit came immediately after the Governor met Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
According to a statement released by Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, the meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was driven solely by the lingering and highly controversial detention of Kanu, a matter Governor Otti has consistently discussed with the Federal Government for nearly two years.
Ekeoma described the encounter as “positive and fruitful,” adding that President Tinubu was “gracious and generous” in his reception of the Governor.
While the details of the discussion were not disclosed, the Governor’s camp expressed renewed optimism about progress on a matter that has polarized Nigeria and attracted global attention.
A Troubled Journey: Nnamdi Kanu’s Long Battle With the Nigerian State
Governor Otti’s intervention cannot be understood without examining the prolonged and troubling travails of Nnamdi Kanu in the hands of the Nigerian government, an ordeal that continues to raise questions about human rights, judicial independence, and constitutional order in Nigeria.
Extraordinary Rendition From Kenya
In June 2021, Kanu was abducted in Kenya in what international legal experts, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and human rights organisations described as an extraordinary rendition.
He was forcibly transferred to Nigeria without due process, an act universally condemned as illegal under both Nigerian and international law.
Threats to Life in DSS Custody
Upon his kidnap, Kanu was held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), where his legal team repeatedly raised alarms about deteriorating health conditions and threats to his life.
Reports documented extreme solitary confinement, denial of adequate medical care, and restrictions on legal access, violations that the UN later described as “arbitrary detention amounting to torture.”
Government’s Refusal to Obey Court Orders
Despite several court rulings, including the 2022 Court of Appeal judgement discharging and acquitting Kanu, and a categorical UN decision calling for his immediate release and compensation, the Nigerian government has repeatedly refused to comply.
This persistent defiance has entrenched public distrust, escalated insecurity in the Southeast, and hardened perceptions of systemic injustice against a region that has consistently called for dialogue, fairness, and constitutional redress.
A Judiciary in Crisis: The Omotosho Judgment
In 2025, concerns over judicial integrity intensified following Justice Binta Nyako’s earlier rulings and, most recently, Justice Omotosho’s controversial conviction, a judgment widely criticised by legal experts as a travesty of justice.
Justice Omotosho not only invoked repealed laws and admitted evidence previously struck out by appellate courts but also delivered a judgment without allowing Kanu the constitutional right to file his final written address, an essential element of fair hearing.
His introduction of personal opinions about national unity and self-determination into a criminal ruling, issues not contained in the charges, and has been condemned as “improper, unprofessional, and unlawful.”
Otti’s Mission: Peace, Stability, and Healing
Against this backdrop, Governor Otti’s efforts has been described as one of the most determined political attempts to break the cycle of conflict.
The Governor has made it clear that his advocacy for Kanu’s release is not political posturing. He did not campaign with Kanu’s name in 2023, nor does he intend to weaponize the issue for 2027. Instead, Otti believes that a just resolution of Kanu’s case is essential to restoring trust, rebuilding security, and the beginning of genuine healing in the Southeast.
His latest visit to President Tinubu appears to signal growing momentum around a political solution, one increasingly regarded as necessary to stabilise the region and restore some level of confidence in Nigeria’s battered legal and constitutional framework.
