Reports have revealed that inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sokoto, have announced leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as their president.

Kanu was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice James Omotosho after he was found guilty on all seven counts of terrorism offences. The charges related to his secessionist agitations, acts of terrorism, membership of a proscribed group, killing of security operatives, destruction of public property, concealment, and the importation of an unregistered radio transmitter.

The IPOB leader, who had been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja while his protracted trial lasted, was moved to Sokoto Prisons after he was sentenced to life jail.

Daily Sun gathered that drama erupted upon his arrival inside Sokoto Prison as inmates unanimously declared him the “Prison President.”

Witnesses said the inmates scrambled to get close enough to shake his hand, calling him “a man who speaks the truth without fear.”

A senior prison official, who spoke under anonymity, said: “Kanu has practically turned his cell block into a mini Radio Biafra. Even those who once opposed him now sit quietly to listen. The surprising part is that nobody forces them—his words pull them.”

The official further revealed that the IPOB leader has transformed the atmosphere in the facility dramatically:

“Whether people agree with his ideology or not, nobody denies that he talks boldly, fearlessly, and with deep conviction. That alone has made him a prominent figure in this place.” (The Sun)