Detained IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, alongside former Blanco, Texas Mayor Mike Arnold, is set to unveil the 'Sokoto Declaration' on May 30, a new roadmap for self-determination and human rights. This significant document, co-drafted by both, will be released globally via Biafra Radio and other digital platforms. The declaration comes as Kanu remains incarcerated in Sokoto, with the choice of 'Sokoto' in the title sparking much political interest.
The convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is set to release a new roadmap for self-determination titled the "Sokoto Declaration".
The document, described as a statement of common cause, was co-drafted by Kanu and a former mayor of Blanco in Texas, U.S., Mike Arnold.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by Kanu’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, the declaration is a call to individuals who value human rights and the principle of self-determination.
The declaration is scheduled for a formal global release on May 30, 2026, via Biafra Radio and other digital platforms. The date coincides with the annual "Biafra Day" typically observed by supporters of the movement.
“I have been authorised by him (Kanu) to announce that he has been working with Mazi Mike Arnold, and together they have drafted the Sokoto Declaration — a statement of common cause, a call to all who value human rights and self-determination, and a light for the path ahead,” Ejimakor stated.
Promotional materials for the declaration, which was shared on X (former Twitter) handle of Ejimakor, feature a stern message on the acquisition of political influence: “No one is coming to save us. Power is never given. It is built. It is taken”.
The choice of "Sokoto" in the title has generated significant interest among political observers, as the IPOB leader remains in the Nigerian Correctional Service Custodial Centre in Sokoto.
Justice James Omotosho, of the then judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja had in November 2025 convicted Kanu on terrorism related charges and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The court held that Kanu’s own broadcasts, videos, and public statements, as tendered by the prosecution, clearly showed that he identified himself as the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN), both of which were controversially designated as terrorist organisations by the Federal Government in 2017.
Justice Omotosho took judicial notice of the Federal High Court order of September 20, 2017, issued in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/871/2017, which proscribed IPOB and its activities, as well as the corresponding publication in the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 99, Vol. 104.
The Gazette warned that any person claiming membership of IPOB from that date commits a terrorist act.
“The import of the Gazette is that from September 20, 2017, any person claiming to be a member of IPOB commits a terrorist offence,” the judge said.
“The defendant, by his broadcasts of 11 May 2021 and 12 December 2020, professed to be the leader of IPOB and ESN. There is no evidence before this court showing otherwise.”
The prosecution presented multiple video broadcasts in which Kanu declared the formation of the ESN, described its operations, and issued instructions to its members.
In one broadcast, he stated that the group was set up “to defend our land,” while another clip showed ESN operatives in uniform waving the organisation’s flag.
However, Justice Omotosho's conviction came despite a subsisting 2023 judgement of the Enugu State high Court which nullified the proscription of IPOB as a terrorist organisation.
Kanu has since filed an appeal against the judgement that convicted him, while he remained in Sokoto Correctional Centre.
The upcoming declaration is expected to provide fresh insight into the detained leader's current philosophy regarding the struggle for an independent state of Biafra and human rights advocacy within the Nigerian context.
Posted on Sahara reporter
