Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has visited the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at a correctional facility in Sokoto State.
Otti was accompanied by Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu; the Abia State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN); and his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma.
In a statement on Monday, Ekeoma confirmed the visit and noted that officials of the Sokoto State Government were also in attendance.
According to him, Governor Otti encouraged Kanu to remain strong, assuring him that engagements initiated more than two years ago toward resolving his case “have been intensified.”
The statement read:
“Governor Otti, while discussing with Mazi Kanu, encouraged him to remain strong, assuring that the engagements he started over two years ago—of which the IPOB leader is aware—have been intensified despite recent developments.
“The Governor urged Kanu to remain calm but resolute, assuring him that the matter will be resolved administratively and that he will regain his freedom.”
Ekeoma added that Otti expressed delight that the Sultan of Sokoto shared the same view on the need for Kanu’s release and the de-escalation of tensions.
He noted that the Sultan jokingly told the governor that Kanu was now “his subject” and that he planned to “turbane him”—a remark that reportedly made Kanu laugh.
The visit comes two weeks after Kanu was convicted of terrorism by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice James Omotosho found him guilty on all seven counts brought by the Federal Government. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment and ordered that he be denied access to mobile devices and broadcast equipment except under strict security supervision.
