The Igbo community in Sokoto State has marked the 2025 Christmas celebration with a humanitarian visit to inmates at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, where the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is currently being held.
The visit, which took place on Christmas Day, saw members of the Igbo community spend time with inmates at the correctional facility, sharing meals and fellowship as part of a broader outreach programme.
In a statement signed by Nze A. C. Madu and made available to journalists on Thursday, the Igbo community leadership said the initiative was driven by compassion, communal responsibility and solidarity with inmates during the festive season.
According to the statement, the outreach was inspired by Kanu’s reported disposition and preference not to dine alone during Christmas celebrations.
“Understanding his reported preference not to dine alone, especially during the festive season of Christmas, the community made a decisive and inclusive choice,” the statement read.
Rather than focusing their support on Kanu alone, the community said it resolved to extend the gesture to all inmates at the facility.
“Instead of limiting their generosity to a single individual, they elected to provide festive meals for the entire inmate population of the facility,” the statement added.
The community disclosed that the initiative ensured that about 1,300 inmates at the Sokoto Correctional Centre shared in the Christmas celebration, describing the act as a demonstration of unity, empathy and shared humanity.
The Igbo leadership explained that the outreach was rooted in the Igbo cultural principle of being one another’s keepers, as well as in universal values of charity, fellowship and goodwill.
“It was performed as a humanitarian service to all, irrespective of origin or circumstance, and underscores a commitment to humanity and shared goodwill, offering a moment of comfort and inclusivity during the holiday period,” the statement said.
The community further expressed hope that the initiative would foster peace, unity and mutual understanding beyond the Christmas season.
Diaspora Digital Media reports that Nnamdi Kanu was transferred to the Sokoto Correctional Centre after Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment in November 2025.
The court found Kanu guilty on counts one, two, four, five and six of terrorism-related charges.
He was also sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment on count three and five years’ imprisonment on count seven, both without an option of fine, after being convicted on all seven counts.