Nnamdi Kanu’s legal counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, has issued an appeal to prominent Igbo leaders, urging them to rise to the occasion and visit the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, currently held in Sokoto prison.
In a statement shared on his official X, (formerly Twitter) handle, Ejimakor challenged Southeast political, cultural, and religious figures to emulate former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, and other Yoruba leaders who previously showed solidarity with Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho, during his incarceration in the Benin Republic.
Ejimakor wrote: “Dear Igbo leaders: Rise up, be of good courage & visit MAZI NNAMDI KANU in Sokoto. Emulate Obasanjo, Soyinka & other Yoruba leaders who visited IGBOHO in Benin Republic. They never feared BUHARI because it was a just cause. To #FreeMNK is also a just cause & it’s urgent. Yes!”
The lawyer’s comment draws parallels between the treatment and advocacy received by Sunday Igboho and the perceived silence of many Igbo leaders regarding Nnamdi Kanu’s prolonged detention.
Ejimakor noted that Yoruba statesmen did not hesitate to confront the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari when they traveled across borders to meet Igboho, insisting that their courage was borne out of conviction in what they believed to be a legitimate struggle.
Supporting his argument, Ejimakor referenced documented reports that:
“Both Olusegun Obasanjo and Wole Soyinka have visited Benin Republic to see Sunday Igboho.”
Obasanjo reportedly traveled in 2021 to mediate issues surrounding Igboho’s detention, while Soyinka visited the country in 2022 in connection with the activist’s legal battles.
Ejimakor’s latest intervention adds to growing calls demanding Kanu’s release, a matter that has remained a major flashpoint in national discourse.
On November 21, 2025, Kanu was convicted by the Federal High court in Abuja on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Within hours, he was transferred from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja to the Sokoto Correctional Facility, a move that has generated controversy and concern.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered judgment in the long-running case against Kanu. The court found him guilty on seven terrorism-related counts brought by the Federal Government.
Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment on four of the counts (1, 4, 5, and 6).
He also received 20 years and 5 years imprisonment on two other counts (3 and 7).
The ruling concluded that the prosecution had successfully proven its case against him.
Hours after the conviction, Kanu was moved from DSS custody in Abuja to the Sokoto Correctional Facility.