South-East Governors Keep Mute On Nnamdi Kanu’s Life Sentence, Transfer To Sokoto Prison

Observers say this silence is not new. It reflects a long-running pattern of political caution among regional leaders whenever the IPOB matter resurfaces, especially concerning Kanu’s detention or legal battles.

The five governors of Nigeria’s South East region have maintained a striking and controversial silence following the life sentence handed down to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday.

The judgment, delivered by Justice James Omotosho, has triggered widespread condemnation across the region and beyond.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that Kanu was also secretly transferred from the DSS custody in Abuja to a correctional centre in Sokoto State.

Yet, as regional and national stakeholders voice strong reactions, the political leaders closest to the issue — South East governors— have not released statements, convened meetings, or taken a public stance.

The region’s political establishment has long walked a tightrope: addressing legitimate grievances among the youth while avoiding being seen as endorsing a separatist group designated as a terrorist organisation by the federal government.

But critics argue that this latest episode crosses from caution into abdication.

Public frustration is fuelled by memories of the South East Governors’ Forum’s role in the 2017 proscription of IPOB.

Under then-chairman Governor David Umahi— now Minister of Works — the Forum officially banned the group at the height of mass flag-waving demonstrations across the region.

At the time, Umahi was seen as aligning closely with the administration of then-President Muhammadu Buhari. Critics say this political alignment came at the cost of alienating and endangering Igbo youth involved in largely symbolic protests.

The proscription by the governors served as the foundation for the Buhari administration’s subsequent designation of IPOB as a terrorist organisation through an ex-parte order — an order that IPOB appealed but which has remained unheard at the Court of Appeal for years.

Notably, although a High Court in Enugu State nullified the proscription in 2023, Justice Omotosho still relied on the original ban to convict Kanu as the leader of a terrorist organization.

Across major cities in the South East, residents say the governors’ silence feels like yet another betrayal at a moment of heightened emotional tension.

“They helped create the situation that led to IPOB being labelled a terrorist group, and now they can’t speak when the consequences are unfolding,” said a political observer in Anambra.

Civil society groups such as Ohanaeze Ndigbo, MASSOB, and the Ohanaeze Youth Council have already condemned the ruling, describing it as a miscarriage of justice. Their open criticism makes the governors’ silence even more conspicuous.

A community leader in Enugu told SaharaReporters: “Even if they don’t want to take sides, they should at least address their people and call for calm. Leadership is not silence.”

Sources within government circles suggest that the governors worry that any public comment—whether critical or supportive of the ruling—could escalate tensions in a region already grappling with insecurity, sit-at-home disruptions, and armed groups claiming affiliation with IPOB.

But analysts argue that silence is itself a political risk. It feeds narratives that South East leaders are detached from grassroots realities or unwilling to defend their own people when national decisions disproportionately affect the region.

Security agencies have reportedly increased deployments across several South East states to deter potential unrest. Intelligence sources say authorities are monitoring groups that may attempt to exploit public anger following the ruling.

SaharaReporters had reported that human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, confirmed that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had secretly transferred IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to a correctional facility in Sokoto State, warning that the move poses severe risks to his safety.

Sowore made this known on Friday, a day after Justice Mobolaji Omotosho convicted Kanu on seven-count charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Speaking, Sowore in a post accused the Nigerian government of implementing a covert plan to isolate Kanu in what he described as a notorious prison in northern Nigeria.

“Yes, they have already planned it. Their intention since yesterday was to move Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to a notorious prison based in the northern parts, where his safety cannot be guaranteed. I can confirm now that he’s already in Sokoto prison,” Sowore said.

According to Sowore, government officials feared that placing Kanu in Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja would turn the facility into a “pilgrimage ground” for supporters from across the South-East.

“They openly said he would “become a king” if taken to Kuje correctional center in Abuja, because according to them, “Igbo people” and his supporters would turn Kuje into a place of pilgrimage.

“That is why they are desperate to keep him far away, isolated, and vulnerable.”

The former presidential candidate stated that government-aligned actors are now engaged in what he described as a psychological operation to manipulate public perception and weaken calls for Kanu’s freedom.