People who claim Kanu being sent to Sokoto is “unjust” are disingenuous jokers.
This man ordered prison breaks live on broadcasts. He praised attacks on state institutions. He celebrated violence carried out by his followers. Many of his victims did not get to choose where they wanted to be that day. They did not get to vote on whether they should live or die. He said he had the power to decide who lives and who dies by the way. Yet somehow, after all this, some people think he should now choose where he serves a sentence? .
Sokoto is Nigeria. Full stop. The Nigerian state has the right to determine where a convicted person is incarcerated. Convicts do not negotiate prison destinations. Not in Nigeria. Not anywhere in the world.
He already enjoyed privileges most defendants never see. He had access to phones in custody in Kuje. He was granted bail. He broke the conditions. He fled. Any system that tolerates that level of defiance has already been more lenient than necessary. To now demand “special consideration” after violating every concession is utter madness.
If someone wants consideration and gentle handling, the obvious step is simple: don’t commit acts that meet the threshold of terr0rism. Don’t call for attacks on innocent citizens and order your boys to do it. Don’t direct and incite jailbreaks. You don’t get to light the house on fire and then demand to choose the room where you’ll be held accountable.
And for those shouting “international law” without understanding basic legal systems: nowhere in the world do convicted terr0rists decide where they serve time.
In the United States, convicted extremists are placed in high-security federal prisons without negotiation. Some are held in facilities specifically designed to isolate high-risk offenders. They don’t get to say, “I prefer a prison closer to my supporters.”
In the United Kingdom, terrorism convicts are held in maximum-security prisons under strict monitoring. They don’t petition social media to pick their facility.
In France, Spain, Turkey, Egypt , same principle. Once a court convicts you of terr0rism-related crimes, the state assigns your place of incarceration based on security assessments, not emotional appeals.
Nigeria is not doing anything unusual. What is unusual is a section of the public pretending that a convicted extremist should be treated like a misunderstood influencer who deserves a location preference.
This isn’t about ethnicity. It isn’t about persecution narratives. It is about a state exercising the same authority every functioning country exercises: protecting public safety and enforcing court decisions.
If you believe convicts should choose their prisons, then go serve it for him!
And that is exactly why serious nations don’t run justice systems by social media sentiment.
By Chioma Amaryllis Ahaghotu
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