Barrister Aloy Ejimakor, Special Counsel to detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, has raised concerns over the refusal of the Federal High Court in Abuja to issue a production warrant required to bring his client to court for the settlement of appeal records.
Kanu, who was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on November 20, 2025, had filed an appeal before his conviction. A summons issued by the court had directed him to appear on November 28 for the formal settlement of records necessary for the appellate process.
In a post shared on his X account, Ejimakor published a copy of the summons and expressed shock that the court declined to grant the accompanying production warrant—an order authorizing prison authorities to transport an inmate from detention to the courtroom.
According to him, the warrant is essential for officials at the correctional facility in Sokoto, where Kanu is presently held, to bring him to Abuja. Without it, Ejimakor warned, Kanu cannot be physically present, potentially infringing on his constitutional right to a fair hearing and due process.
The lawyer previously cautioned that transferring Kanu from Abuja to a Sokoto prison, hundreds of kilometres away, severely jeopardizes his ability to file and pursue an appeal. Speaking on the Morning Brief programme on Channels Television on November 24, he said Kanu’s rights under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution were at risk due to limited access to legal counsel and the courts.
Ejimakor argued that several correctional facilities closer to Abuja—such as facilities in Suleja and Keffi—would have ensured better access to his legal team and family members. He added that the legal community was stunned by the decision to relocate Kanu to Sokoto shortly after his sentencing.
Kanu was convicted on seven terrorism-related charges by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, following years of contentious proceedings marked by prolonged detention, legal disputes, and accusations of state misconduct.
Before his conviction, Kanu had been held in the detention of the Department of State Services since June 2021, after his controversial arrest and extradition from Kenya—an operation condemned by several local and international human rights groups.
In October 2022, the Court of Appeal discharged him of all charges, ruling that his extraordinary rendition was unlawful. However, the Federal Government obtained a stay of execution of that judgment, keeping him in custody and allowing the terrorism trial to proceed.
Ejimakor emphasized that the current circumstances—particularly the lack of a production warrant and Kanu’s distant place of detention—pose serious obstacles to the pursuit of his appeal.