A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out an application filed by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, seeking his transfer from the Sokoto Correctional Facility to another custodial centre.
Kanu, who is currently serving a sentence following his conviction on seven terrorism-related charges on November 20, 2025, had approached the court through an ex parte motion asking to be moved to a prison facility within the jurisdiction of the court.
In the alternative, he requested a transfer to nearby custodial centres such as Suleja or Keffi to enable him effectively pursue his appeal.
However, the court had earlier ruled that the application could not be entertained as an ex parte motion and directed that it be converted to a motion on notice, with the federal government and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) properly served.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Kanu’s counsel from the Legal Aid Council, Demdoo Asan, informed the court of his decision to withdraw from the case, citing irreconcilable differences with the applicant and his relatives.
Asan told the court that Kanu’s family failed to cooperate in processing the application and accused the IPOB leader of attempting to dictate how the case should be conducted in court.
According to him, Kanu insisted on controlling what counsel would say during proceedings, a situation he said was incompatible with his duties as an officer of the court.
Following consultations with his superiors, Asan formally applied to withdraw his appearance, a request that was granted by the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, who commended the lawyer for upholding the dignity of the court.
Ruling on the application, Justice Omotosho noted that there was no proof that the respondents had been served with the motion on notice as earlier directed by the court.
He subsequently struck out the application for lack of competence, bringing the proceedings on the prison transfer request to an end.
