The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that the trial, sentencing and transfer of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to Sokoto Prison were aimed at delivering him to the Caliphate as an ethnic trophy in a bid to secure Northern votes against candidates like Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The allegation was contained in a press statement issued by the group and signed by its Spokesperson and Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful.

According to IPOB, the political maneuvering surrounding Kanu’s trial, sentencing and subsequent transfer to Sokoto was a calculated ploy to use its leader as a bargaining chip in Northern politics.

The group claimed the strategy was designed to present Kanu to the North as a trophy, in a desperate bid to win Northern support against Atiku Abubakar and other opposition figures.

IPOB, however, said the strategy has backfired spectacularly. It alleged that discerning Fulani leaders and the Northern populace are deeply incensed, openly rejecting being used as props in what it described as childish, desperate political mind games while the economy and nation collapse.

The Sokoto transfer allegation formed the central plank of the wider statement titled “Kenya Kidnap, Judicial Parody, And The British Colonial Footprint: Nigeria’s Fraudulent Union Is Cracking Under Its Own Weight.”

In the same statement, IPOB also blamed Britain for alleged complicity in Kanu’s abduction in Kenya and his extraordinary rendition to Nigeria.

It further accused Britain of complicity over what it described as disregard for United Nations calls for Kanu’s release, disobedience of appellate court discharges, conviction on repealed laws, and reliance on harsh legal measures.

IPOB also faulted the court proceedings, challenging remarks attributed to Justice Omotosho that Kanu “hates the North with a passion,” which it described as deliberate distortions.

The group said Kanu does not hate any ethnic group, but fights against what it called a corrupt, neo-colonial structure.

IPOB reiterated its call for Kanu’s release, insisting that its agitation remains peaceful, and that no amount of political horse-trading will stop what it called the ultimate triumph of justice. (The Sun)