“I’m personally engaging colleagues to secure Nnamdi Kanu’s freedom” – Otti
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has assured that efforts are ongoing to secure the release of detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, saying he is personally engaging his colleagues on the matter.
In a video seen by GovernMend Nigeria on Tuesday, Otti gave the assurance while responding to questions from journalists concerning Kanu’s conviction and continued detention at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
The governor, however, corrected what he described as a misconception about Kanu’s conviction, stressing that the IPOB leader was not sentenced to death.
“The first correction is that he was not convicted to death,” Otti said.
He confirmed that he had visited Kanu at the correctional facility in Sokoto following his conviction, noting that the visit demonstrated his commitment to the matter and his connection to the detained IPOB leader, who hails from Abia State.
Otti further disclosed that he had been personally engaging with his colleagues to explore ways of securing Kanu’s freedom.
“I am personally engaging with my colleagues to ensure that somehow he regains his freedom,” the governor stated.
He explained that the details of the ongoing engagements could not be made public, warning that disclosing such information could jeopardise the discussions and negotiations.
“But the details are not supposed to be disclosed here so that you don’t jeopardise the negotiations and the discussions,” he added.
The Abia governor, however, urged the public to remain confident that efforts were being made behind the scenes to address the situation.
“I would like you to rest assured that we are doing something about it,” he assured.
Kanu, the leader of the proscribed IPOB, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20, 2025, after he was convicted on terrorism-related charges.
Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on four counts instead of the death penalty sought by the prosecution. He also imposed additional prison terms of 20 years and five years on two other counts, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently.
Following the judgment, Kanu was moved to the Sokoto Correctional Centre to serve his sentence.
Otti had earlier visited the IPOB leader at the facility on November 30, 2025, accompanied by Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel Kanu, Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ikechukwu Uwanna, and his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma.
During the visit, the governor reportedly assured Kanu that engagements aimed at securing his freedom, which he said had begun more than two years earlier, were being intensified.
He also expressed optimism that the matter could be resolved administratively.
Meanwhile, Kanu has challenged his conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal, seeking to have the judgment overturned.
In February 2026, he filed a 22-ground appeal asking the appellate court to quash his conviction and set aside the sentences imposed on him. As of October 2026, the appeal is still awaiting a hearing date.
