Tinubu’s Government ‘Turned Kanu Into a Bigger Symbol’ After Sokoto Transfer– Sowore

“Activist Omoyele Sowore says the Federal Government’s plan to weaken Nnamdi Kanu by transferring him to a Sokoto prison has “backfired,” increasing the IPOB leader’s symbolic influence and drawing larger public attention.”

Activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, addressed journalists, where he criticised the Federal Government’s handling of the continued detention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Sowore stated that the decision to transfer Kanu to a prison facility in Sokoto was driven by an assumption that it would reduce his public influence and subject him to ridicule. However, he said the move has instead heightened Kanu’s visibility and symbolic strength.

According to him, the government “believed that taking him to Sokoto would diminish his influence,” but the outcome has been the opposite. Sowore noted that the Sokoto facility has increasingly become a convergence point for supporters and sympathisers, drawing greater national attention than anticipated.

In his words:
“When they were taking him to Sokoto, they thought they would ridicule him. When he got there, he has turned Sokoto into another Mecca. That’s exactly what we predicted.”

He argued that the persistent solidarity shown by Kanu’s followers demonstrates the government’s miscalculation, insisting that relocating him to a distant region has not weakened the movement around his detention.

Sowore also addressed remarks involving Justice Omotosho, declaring that he has the capacity to facilitate the judge’s access to Sokoto if needed.
He said: “But if he wants to go, tell him to contact me. I will arrange his safe passage to Sokoto.”

The activist reiterated that the government underestimated both Kanu’s symbolic stature and the resilience of his supporters, maintaining that the situation continues to intensify rather than diminish.