Igbo Community In Sokoto Celebrates Christmas With Nnamdi Kanu, Shares Meals With Over 1,300 Prison Inmates

The Igbo community in Sokoto State marked the 2025 Christmas celebration by extending a humanitarian gesture to inmates of the Sokoto Correctional Centre, including the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. The community spent Christmas Day at the facility, sharing meals, fellowship, and goodwill with inmates as part of activities inspired by compassion, communal responsibility, and the spirit of the season.

According to a statement signed by Nze A. C. Madu on behalf of the Sokoto Igbo community leadership, the outreach was motivated by Igbo cultural values of solidarity and humanity, as well as what the group described as Nnamdi Kanu’s reported preference not to dine alone during festive periods. Rather than focusing on a single individual, the community said it chose an inclusive approach by providing meals for the entire inmate population.

The statement explained that the initiative ensured that all approximately 1,300 inmates at the correctional centre benefitted from the Christmas celebration, regardless of background or circumstance. Members of the Igbo community reportedly shared food and moments of fellowship with the inmates, offering comfort and a sense of belonging during the holiday.

Describing the visit as a humanitarian service rooted in Igbo traditions, the community said the gesture reflected the principle of being one another’s keeper and underscored universal ideals of charity, compassion, and shared goodwill. The group expressed hope that the outreach would promote peace, unity, and mutual understanding beyond the festive season.

Nnamdi Kanu is currently being held at the Sokoto Correctional Centre following his conviction and sentencing in November 2025 by Justice James Omotosho. The IPOB leader was sentenced to life imprisonment on multiple terrorism-related counts, alongside additional jail terms of 20 years and five years on other counts, all without an option of fine. Despite widespread criticism of the judgment, Kanu has indicated his intention to challenge both the conviction and sentence at the appellate court.