Lead counsel to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has called for his immediate relocation from Northern Nigeria, citing heightened security risks following recent United States airstrikes on terrorist targets in Sokoto State.
The lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, made the call on Friday in a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.
He argued that the reported US military operation had reinforced long-standing concerns about insecurity in the region and underscored the dangers of detaining Kanu there.
According to Ejimakor, the airstrikes confirm that Sokoto and its surrounding areas are heavily infiltrated by terrorist elements, making the region unsafe for high-profile detainees such as Kanu.
“The US military strike against terrorists in Sokoto has finally confirmed that Sokoto is riddled with terrorists and was never a safe place of custody for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Ejimakor said.
“It is now more urgent that he be taken outside the terrorist belt in Northern Nigeria.”
He warned that continued detention in the region exposes Kanu to grave security threats, given ongoing terrorist activity and instability.
The lawyer urged Nigerian authorities to relocate his client to a more secure facility in another part of the country, arguing that such a move is necessary to safeguard his life and ensure compliance with basic security standards.
Kanu, the leader of the proscribed IPOB group, has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since his re-arrest in 2021.
His legal team has repeatedly raised concerns about his safety, health, and conditions of detention, including calls for bail and improved access to medical care.
The latest appeal comes amid renewed national debate over Nigeria’s security architecture following confirmation of coordinated US airstrikes against terrorist groups operating in parts of northern Nigeria.
While the Federal Government has described the operation as part of joint counterterrorism efforts, the development has heightened public attention on the scale of militant activity in the region.
As of Friday, neither the DSS nor the Federal Government had issued an official response to Ejimakor’s call for Kanu’s relocation.