A Federal High Court in Abuja has declined to issue a production warrant required to bring the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to court for the settlement of records in his ongoing appeal, prompting concerns from his legal team.
Kanu’s Special Counsel, Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, raised the alarm on Wednesday after sharing a copy of the court summons indicating that Kanu was scheduled to appear before the court on November 28 for the compilation and settlement of appeal records related to a case he filed before his conviction.
Ejimakor, in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, said that while the court issued a summons for Kanu to be presented, it declined to grant the corresponding production warrant—an order that authorizes prison authorities to convey an inmate to the courtroom.
According to him, without the production warrant, officials at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, where Kanu is currently being held, cannot legally transport him to Abuja for the proceedings. He described the court’s refusal as “shocking,” warning that it could undermine Kanu’s right to a fair hearing.
Kanu was convicted on November 20, 2025, on seven terrorism-related charges by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and sentenced to life imprisonment. Shortly after his sentencing, he was transferred from Abuja to a correctional facility in Sokoto—hundreds of kilometres away from where his legal processes are ongoing.
Ejimakor argued that the transfer has severely complicated Kanu’s ability to pursue an appeal, stressing that proximity to legal counsel and access to courts are essential for the timely preparation of appeal documents. He noted that several prisons much closer to Abuja, such as those in Suleja and Keffi, could have accommodated him without disrupting his legal rights.
Speaking earlier on Channels Television’s Morning Brief programme, the lawyer warned that the denial of close access to legal resources violates Kanu’s constitutional rights under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees fair hearing and due process.
Before his conviction, Kanu had been detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) since June 2021, following his controversial arrest and extradition from Kenya—a move criticized by human rights groups and international observers. Although the Court of Appeal discharged him in October 2022 over the illegality of his extraordinary rendition, the Federal Government secured a stay of execution, keeping him in custody while the case continued.
Ejimakor has now called on the judiciary and the legal community to intervene, warning that failure to produce Kanu in court for the appeal record settlement may further jeopardize the integrity of the appellate process.
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