Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has urged the Federal Government to pursue dialogue and peaceful engagement following the life imprisonment handed down to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement posted on X on Friday, Sani reflected on his own experience under the Abacha regime, saying life imprisonment should not be viewed as a terminal point but a difficult phase that can be endured.
Sani, who was jailed between 1995 and 1998 at the Aba Correctional Centre after earlier stints in Kirikiri and Port Harcourt prisons, recounted that he was treated well by most inmates and warders, aside from a few hostile individuals.
“Sentencing a man to life imprisonment is not the end of his life. Some of us have been through life imprisonment and we survived it,” he said.
He added: “There is still room for dialogue to resolve the issue in the interest of peace. Life imprisonment is a phase and not the end.”
His comments follow heightened reactions to reports that Kanu has been transferred from the Department of State Services facility in Abuja to a correctional centre in Sokoto.
Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu’s former lawyer and consultant, also expressed concern on Friday, noting that relocating Kanu far from his legal team and family complicates the situation. He questioned the rationale behind the transfer and urged calm among the Igbo community.
As of Friday evening, Noblequestdaily had not independently verified the reported transfer.
Kanu was sentenced on Thursday by the Federal High Court in Abuja after being convicted on seven terrorism-related charges. Justice James Omotosho imposed life terms on five counts, alongside additional sentences of 20 and five years on other counts, without the option of a fine.
The court also raised security concerns about placing him at the Kuje Correctional Centre, suggesting the need for a more secure detention environment.
